Broncos Roundtable: Who would be the dream pick for Sean Payton and George Paton in the 2023 NFL Draft?

Sean Payton’s first draft with the Denver Broncos is less than a week away.

Thanks to trading for Payton and Russell Wilson, Denver doesn’t have a first or second-round pick. In fact, George Paton’s first pick in the draft isn’t until the 67th pick, which is near the beginning of the third round.

Because of that, the Broncos can say goodbye to the idea of landing Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson or Texas running back Bijan Robinson with a premium pick. Instead, the Broncos’ law firm of Payton and Paton will have to dive deep into the draft class to find gems.

That is, unless, a gem drops to them or Denver makes a trade up to land one of their dream prospects. In an ideal world, who would that be?

The DNVR Broncos Crew gives their pick.

Who would be the Broncos’ dream pick in the draft?

Zac: QB Hendon Hooker — In the NFL, until a team has their quarterback position completely and 100 percent figured out for the future, they must keep looking. While I still believe Russell Wilson can turn it around and be a great quarterback in the NFL, especially working with Sean Payton, after the way he played last year, it would be naive to say Denver absolutely has the QB position figured out for the future.

And if the Broncos can land their quarterback of the future without using a premium first-round pick, it would be very difficult to not jump at that opportunity.

Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker could be the perfect solution.

Hooker is not only a very intriguing prospect—he has NFL size and he was one of the best passing quarterbacks in college the past two seasons as displayed by his 58 touchdowns to only five interceptions—but he would fit perfectly in Payton’s offense. Much like Drew Brees, who Payton coached for the majority of his career, Hooker is very comfortable winning in the pocket by reading, diagnosing defenses quickly and keeping the play on track. What Payton would love about Hooker is his ability to take off and run if needed.

But landing Hooker with the 67th-overall pick will likely be too good to be true. Hooker has gained some hype as the third-best quarterback in the draft so he could be gone by the middle of the first round. However, if he falls to the second or even early third round because teams get worried about his age (25) or the fact he’s coming off an ACL surgery in December, then the Broncos should absolutely consider drafting him to be their future quarterback.

If that happens, Hooker will have a redshirt year to fully heal his ACL and learn Payton’s offense. The Broncos’ 2023 quarterback room is already set with Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham. This could be a match made in heaven for both sides. The issue is it could be too much of a dream.

RK: Steve Avila — The Broncos are down to one hole on their offense line heading into 2023, center. Lloyd Cushenberry simply hasn’t been good enough to this point in his career and the Broncos should absolutely be hot on the lookout for his replacement.

In a middle-heavy center class, there is a chance that Avila could be available when Denver selects in the third round, but if anyone before them is desperate, Avila may be the. very first center off the board.

At 6-foot-4, 332 pounds, Avila is a massive staple in the middle of the line. He’s got the size to create push in the running game and does not get pushed back in pass pro/

Adding Avila to Bolles, Powers, Meinerz and McGlinchey would be a massive win for the Broncos.

Hank: RB Jahmyr Gibbs — There’s virtually no chance the Broncos can get their hands on Gibbs if they wait to make their first selection at No. 67. The rest of the NFL would have to lose their minds.

Gibbs is everything the league could ask for in a running back; he’s fast, has great contact balance, is experienced, and comes from Alabama, where he led the Crimson Tide in receptions last season. Remember, the upcoming first-overall pick and former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young was the quarterback, and no tight end or wide receiver caught as many passes as Gibbs.

Receiving backs have been a key piece of the Sean Payton offense since he took over the Saints in 2006. Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles and Alvin Kamara all made noise out of the New Orleans backfield. Kamara joined the Saints in similar fashion to how Gibbs could become a Bronco.

The Saints had two established running backs in Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson but weren’t looking for a third. When Kamara fell in the draft, ironically to pick 67, Payton’s Saints couldn’t help but to scoop him up.

The Broncos would need to trade up a little bit higher to grab Gibbs, but if he falls past the 50th pick it will be time to start making calls.