Broncos Roundtable: If you could make one realistic trade, what would it be?

DENVER — With free agency in the rearview mirror, all eyes are now set on the NFL Draft.

But what if not all eyes are set on the draft just quite yet. What if John Elway has one more trick up his sleeve in the form of a trade before the draft? After all, he’s already made two sizable trades this offseason.

The DNVR Crew breaks down what that one trade should be.

WHO SHOULD JOHN ELWAY TRADE FOR?

Zac

Julian Edelman for a 4th-round pick — This trade makes so much sense for both sides. For the Patriots, Bill Belichick gets to continue his legacy of getting rid of players a few years too early, as opposed to a few years too late. Additionally, New England gets cap relief — opening up over $4 million in savings — and compensation for the long-time Pat.

For the Broncos, Denver gets an experienced weapon for Drew Lock, a leader for the young receiving corps and a winner on the offensive side of the ball. Additionally, the former Super Bowl MVP would only cost the Broncos $4.3 million against the cap in 2020.

The Broncos enter the draft with their largest hole on the entire team at receiver, especially after not upgrading it during free agency. Adding Edelman wouldn’t eliminate the need, it would just give Elway and Co. more flexibility in the draft and take some strain off needing to take a receiver in the first round.

Edelman’s versatility of being able to play all over the field would also fit in well with any young receiver Denver drafts too.

Even during Tom Brady’s down year last season, Edelman still hauled in 100 passes for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns. Much as he was to TB12, Edelman would be a perfect safety net for Lock as he continues to develop.

Ryan

Picks No. 15 (1), 77 (3) and 118 (4) to the Cleveland for pick No. 10 (1) — After a masterful offseason from John Elway, the Broncos have found themselves in a position where they only have a couple of glaring needs left on the roster. One is on the offensive line, specifically left tackle, and the other is a second wide receiver to compliment Courtland Sutton.

The good news is that those two positions are extremely deep in this draft. The bad news is there are several teams in front of the Broncos in the first round who will be targeting those same positions.

If they stay put at 15, the Broncos will have to cross their fingers and hope one or two teams in front of them reach. If they move up to 10, they can just about guarantee that they will have a significant selection of their favorite tackles and wide receivers in the draft.

It may seem like a lot to surrender just to move up five slots, but nobody will be talking about that if you nail the pick and get an elite talent who can contribute right away.

Mase

More early-round choices in next week’s draft — Yeah, it’s not a “who,” but a “what.” And Elway shouldn’t be afraid to sacrifice 2021 draft capital to acquire it.

This draft is deeper at two key position groups (offensive line and wide receiver) than next year’s crop should be. But the biggest reason the Broncos should be willing to use next year’s draft to add to their stockpile is the uncertainty of next year’s draft process as questions circle over college athletics due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to multiple reports, the commissioners of the Power Five and Group of Five conferences in FBS told Vice President Mike Pence during a Wednesday conference call that there would be no major college football until students can return to campuses. “Our message was, we need to get universities and colleges back open, that we were education-based programs, and we weren’t going to have sports until we had something closer to normal college going on,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told CBSSports.com.

What will next year’s draft class look like if there is no college football season? It might have fewer early-entry candidates, since some players who would emerge from the shadows to more prominent roles would not have the chance, with their shot at playing time delayed until the fall of 2021. Without the usual flood of players declaring for the draft with eligibility remaining, the 2021 class could be more diluted than any in recent memory. As a result, the notion of trading, say, second- and fourth-round choices in the 2021 draft for an early-second-round pick next week could make sense.

With so many question marks about how the next 12 to 18 months will look, the Broncos should add birds to their hands in this year’s draft.