Broncos Roundtable: Who will Denver draft in the first round?

The wait is nearly over. The Denver Broncos are almost on the clock.

The speculation and guessing will be over when George Paton makes his first selection as the Broncos’ general manager.

Will Paton go big with a massive investment at quarterback or will he give another piece to Vic Fangio and the defense?

Before it becomes official on Thursday night, the DNVR Broncos Crew gives their final stab at who Denver’s first-round pick will be.

IN THE FIRST ROUND, THE BRONCOS SELECT…

Zac

Justin Fields — Yes, the Broncos traded for Teddy Bridgewater one day before the draft. But that doesn’t change the long-term outlook of Denver’s quarterback position.

In fact, when trading for Bridgewater, the Broncos eliminated the final year of his deal and are only on the hook for $3 million of his guaranteed salary for 2021. Denver still needs their franchise quarterback.

And thanks to other teams falling for Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and potentially Mac Jones, the Broncos will land their No. 2 quarterback in the draft. But they may not be able to wait until pick No. 9.

While I don’t believe George Paton will trade away the capital needed to get into the top five, I do think he’ll explore a move up to No. 6 in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. A week before the draft, Paton and Dolphins’ general manager Chris Grier spoke and I wouldn’t be surprised if a trade is already in place if Fields were to fall to No. 6. Acquiring Bridgewater makes the Broncos significantly less desperate to move up for a quarterback, but if the price is right, they could jump a few spots.

Trading with the Atlanta Falcons and going to No. 4 would likely cost Denver at least an additional first-round pick. However, a move to No. 6 would likely only cost Paton a Day 2 pick or two — a small price to pay to land the team’s next franchise quarterback. Or, of course, there is a path where Fields falls right into the Broncos lap at No. 9.

In Fields, the Broncos would be getting a prototypical modern-day quarterback. Not only can Fields win from the pocket, but he’s a dangerous threat on the ground. Fields is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the draft, completing over 70 percent of his passes in 2020. He has also proven to be a great decision maker, throwing 63 touchdowns to only nine interceptions his two years starting at Ohio State.

With Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr in their division, the Broncos need a franchise quarterback in order to compete. They’ll get that with Fields.

Mase

Trade down, take Najee Harris — There is a scenario in which the Broncos stand pat at 9 and do not take a quarterback. It involves some combination of being jumped via a trade — or trades — and perhaps Carolina adding to its quarterback room by taking the fifth quarterback off the board at No. 8 — something that could be in play with the Panthers moving Teddy Bridgewater to the Broncos on Wednesday. In that case, Denver could be in position for one of the top two tackles in the draft: Oregon’s Penei Sewell or Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater.

But this scenario could also involve one of the top three wide receivers falling to the No. 9 slot. And that might make teams frisky enough to move up. Ideally, the Broncos could get back a first-round pick in a deal, but that would require moving down into the 20s.

And that could put Harris, Alabama’s prolific running back, into play. Harris is the complete package at running back: big, powerful, agile. He can block well. He has pass-catching proficiency in the flat. And while Melvin Gordon would be the RB1 in 2021, the Broncos would be backstopped in case Gordon suffers an injury. Harris also leaves them ready with a high-character player who could be one of the best young running backs in the league by 2022.

RK

Trey Lance — The more I think about this trade for Bridgewater, the more it feels like it sets up the Broncos drafting a quarterback more than it precludes it. The Broncos now have two main possibilities at quarterback, in my opinion. Either they hold an open competition at quarterback between Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock — that makes sense — or they bring in a rookie QB, trade Drew Lock and use Bridgewater as the bridge QB — that makes sense too.

With hindsight now being 20/20, the idea of Lock mixed in with a rookie quarterback feels kind of clunky and awkward comparatively, doesn’t it? Neither guy would have really known where they stand, Lock would have certainly felt like the step-child and the whole thing would have been just a bit messy.

Now, the door is open for the Broncos to let the board come to them and I think when all is said and done, Trey Lance falls to a place where the Broncos can’t pass him up and bring him in to be the heir to the throne.