Luca Evans, Broncos beat reporter: At long last, it’s about time we stop talking about what the Broncos might do in this NFL Draft and get to it Thursday. So, fellow gentlemen and Bronco scholars, let’s roundtable some scenarios that have heated up in recent days before the cold of Green Bay. We’ve seen reports from ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, among others, that the Broncos could leap up from their 20th slot. And if the ultra-aggressive Sean Payton does want to swing big to snag a dude, who’s actually worth selling the farm for in this fairly top-light class?
My vote goes to Penn State tight end Tyler Warren. I’m not sure there’s a better fit for a Payton team in this class, regardless of position. Nittany Lions OC Andy Kotelnicki used Warren like a 6-foot-5, 256-pound scatback in Penn State’s offense last year, lining him up everywhere from the outside to the slot to the backfield. I was covering the USC-Penn State game last year when Warren snapped the ball and then caught a touchdown on the same play. The Jets (pick No. 7) are high on Warren, but if they reasonably choose to beef up their offensive line, and if he slips past the Bears at No. 10, Warren’s well worth firing off future draft capital to snag.
Troy Renck, columnist: This draft demands patience. Staying in your lane. So why is it so easy to see Sean Payton tapping his fingers on the steering wheel before taking the shoulder? If he wants a player, he will get him. That is his draft DNA. There is one prospect who makes sense as an impulse buy: Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. He is capable of making the Broncos’ dormant running game spew lava. If the Raiders don’t take Jeanty with the sixth pick, the Broncos would have to move up to No. 9 to keep the human pinball away from the Bears. Other than Tyler Warren, no offensive player warrants leveraging uncomfortable draft capital. Pair Bo Nix with Jeanty, Evan Engram and Courtland Sutton? Now the Broncos are cooking with grease, featuring an offense capable of finally dethroning the annoyingly consistent Chiefs.
Parker Gabriel, Broncos beat reporter: Worthy answers both, dudes. Those are the first two players I would pick, too. I’ll stay in a similar vein and say Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. He’s a little quicker and a little more dynamic than Warren as a receiver, but not quite the brute that Warren is. In short, he’s a big slot weapon who isn’t a rugged blocker but shouldn’t be useless in that department over the course of his career. He’s maybe got a little more Year 1 crossover with Engram, but long-term, he’s got a chance to be a favorite target of Nix for many years. In this draft class overall, there’s not much consensus. Different teams and evaluators like different quarterbacks, they like different flavors of receiver. After Jeanty, and to some degree, North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, they like all kinds of different running backs. But one of the things you hear over and over again is that Warren and Loveland are both among the 10 best players in the class. Plus, it’s a position of need. If Loveland got in range but it wasn’t clear he’d last until No. 20, he’d be worth sliding up for.
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