Broncos Roster Gets a Makeover in Wild Redraft of Current NFL Players

When it comes to the NFL draft, fans and analysts often wonder about re-dos and how players would perform if they had landed with other teams in different situations. This time of year, redrafts are common around the NFL media sphere.

NFL.com's Chad Reuter took it a step further, opting to redraft the entire NFL, not the college ranks, which, if it were to happen in reality, would thoroughly shake up the league's current landscape. If you’ve ever played Madden and conducted a fantasy draft to start your franchise, that's essentially what Reuter did.

So, with us being in the depths of the NFL summer, just waiting for training camp to arrive, we're going to examine Reuter's selections for the Denver Broncos. He used the order for the 2025 NFL draft for the first round, and then it snakes for the following rounds.

With the Broncos sitting with the 20th overall pick, the Reuter took Bo Nix. He is the first Broncos player drafted, and would remain with Sean Payton.

For a project like this, quarterbacks always get a boost because it is the most critical position in all of sports. Nix may not be the best player on the Broncos roster, per se, but he is the most valuable. 

Nix is the only Bronco to go in the first round of Reuter's All-NFL redraft. 

Before the Broncos make their second pick, they have a second player, Patrick Surtain II, selected by the Houston Texans. Surtain is an outstanding player, so while it isn’t surprising that he went before the Broncos' next pick in this project, it's a bit surprising he didn’t go earlier. 

Despite missing out on Surtain, the Broncos add Stingley, who is the second-best corner in the NFL. The Texans and Broncos switch their corners around, and while Surtain to Stingley is a drop-off, it isn't as big as some may think. 

In the third round, another Bronco landed elsewhere, with Garett Bolles heading to the Cincinnati Bengals. Having a quality left tackle to protect the quarterback is critical, so it's not surprising to see Bolles go in this area in Reuters' project. 

Another way to help the quarterback is through the running game, and Retuer has the Broncos selecting Jacobs, whom Sean Payton coveted during the 2024 free-agent period. Now, running back is highly dependent on the offensive line, but Jacobs has shown he can cover up offensive line issues during his time with the Raiders. 

However, with the value of running backs being what it is, the Broncos would be better going elsewhere in this redraft exercise, like defensive end Zach Allen, offensive tackle Jake Matthews, or wide receiver Drake London, who all go in the third round after the Broncos' pick.

Allen would give Denver a pressure player upfront, while Matthews is a left tackle, and London would be a top target for Nix. That wraps up the third round. 

The fourth round kicks off with Quinn Meinerz going to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Broncos land Nelson with their fourth-round pick. Meinerz is a better guard at this point in their career, so it's a drop-off, but Nelson is still a very good guard. 

Nik Bonitto goes with the next pick after the Broncos take Nelson, which raises the count of Broncos selected in this redraft to six. The Broncos still lack a pressure player up front for their defense, which can be a significant boost to Stingley. So both the Round 3 and 4 selections are debatable for the Broncos. 

In the fifth round, the Broncos land McConkey to give Nix a weapon out of the slot. Adding McConkey and Jacobs as weapons for the offense helps Nix a lot, and with Nelson as a guard, the Broncos would have the start of an offensive line.

However, outside of Stingley, the defense remains ignored thus far, and the Broncos need a pass rusher because pressure and sacks are so vital for defensive success. 

Courtland Sutton goes in the sixth round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the pick before the Broncos, who then take Franklin. A linebacker is nice, but in terms of defensive value, it's one of the least valued positions.

The Broncos still lack a pressure player, and there was a run on such options after this pick. 

The Broncos finally land a pressure player in Cooper. He's a good outside linebacker, but Reuter had the Broncos passing on superior pressure players for options at positions that are far less valuable.

Meanwhile, the running backs that Reuter has in the seventh round aren’t a significant drop-off from Jacobs. So, maybe the better play would have been to use that third-round pick on a pressure player, then go for a running back in Round 7. 

Evan Engram also goes a few picks after the Broncos take Cooper. Instead of the Broncos, Reuters reports that Engram lands with the other team that pursued him in reality: the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Jahdae Barron and Brandon Jones are selected with the 220th and 221st picks, landing with the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, respectively. They are the final Broncos to be selected in Reuter's redraft, bringing the total to 11. 

While the Broncos assemble a solid team in this redraft, there are several unusual selections and a lack of consideration for positional value. This was a fun exercise to review, but it's only an exercise, thankfully, because it would likely be the start of an inferior Broncos team compared to what they actually have. 

That said, with 224 picks, if every team were to have an equal number of players, that’d be seven players from each team. The Broncos had 11 players, so when they're ‘losing’ four players more than the average, naturally, the roster would be diminished.