The Denver Broncos have seven available picks in April’s NFL Draft, and are hoping to build off of their Wild Card appearance, and 10-7 record from the 2024-25 campaign. Head coach Sean Payton, a finalist for the Coach of the Year award last season, will collaborate with general manager George Paton on potentially fixing some of the areas that could transform them into a championship contender.
The Broncos’ biggest strength is the defense. With one of the NFL’s most intimidating cornerbacks in Patrick Surtain II, and one of the best defensive fronts, Denver will be required to shore things up with its scoring.
Bo Nix made tremendous strides as a rookie quarterback, and the Broncos are very close to having weapons around him that balance things out on both sides of the football.
One of the biggest areas of the roster that the Broncos don’t want to sleep on is the defensive line. While it’s a strength, it’s also a superpower that the organization cannot afford to see regress in 2025, per Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post.
“This group has a good argument for being the strongest and most complete on the roster. So could Denver also use its first-round pick on a defensive lineman? It’s not crazy, given the talent that could be available at No. 20 and the importance of keeping the front line strong. Allen’s due for a massive extension and Franklin-Myers is entering the final year of his contract. After giving Jones a three-year, $39 million deal, it’s an open question if the Broncos can afford everybody. If not, having a premium young player in a rotational role this year and a bigger role in Year 2 is a reasonable outcome.”
Bearing this in mind, let’s take a look at who the Broncos’ selected in the latest five-round mock draft at their four current spots, according to PFN’s simulation.
No. 20 Shavon Revel CB East Carolina
The Broncos have a chance to stoke the flames on defense with a bold first-round pick. Shavon Revel put his explosive skill set to good use at East Carolina over the last three seasons – racking up 70 tackles, 15 pass deflections and three interceptions in 24 appearances.
While Revel is by no means a “wrong choice” in the first round, it’s possible that Denver’s urgency to improve the offense could outweigh a BPA (best-player available) strategy. (The simulation could have led us astray with this one). But let’s keep going.
Revel is coming off a torn ACL from last September, so he would likely be more of a project early in his career. That said, he’s also a player with the upside to blossom into another defensive star by the time the Broncos’ veteran contracts catch up to them.
No. 51 Isaiah Bond WR Texas
It’s becoming clear that the Broncos will continue stacking the wideout room with talent in this draft. To what length, who knows? But it’s difficult to see Payton and the front office walking out of Day 1 or Day 2 without a talented route runner.
Isaiah Bond offers “steal” potential at this stage of the second round. His homerun ability as a sprinter, and quickness across the middle of the field could prove valuable for Nix as a second-year NFL gunslinger.
No. 85 TreVeyon Henderson RB Ohio State
If the NFL season started today, the Broncos offense would be rolling with Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime as the two primary running backs. It’s time for Payton to start fresh with a new playmaker. In such a deep class, Denver may see value beyond Round 1.
The Broncos have been looking for that 1-2 punch that most great teams have, (à la Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley), since the early half of the 2024-25 campaign. A Nix and TreVeyon Henderson QB/RB combo has a nice ring to it.
Henderson displayed competence as both a runner and receiver during Ohio State football’s national championship journey. He worked effectively in a timeshare with Quinshon Judkins, which accounted for 2,076 rushing yards last year – so the Broncos could tag him as the feature back, while involving McLaughlin and Estime in some capacity.
No. 122 Danny Stutsman LB Oklahoma
There’s a chance that the Broncos are eyeing a wide receiver or a running back in the first round. They could also realistically select Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon or Alabama’s prized linebacker Jihaad Campbell.
But sticking to the trusty PFN simulator here, Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman becomes the next addition to the Broncos’ prominent pass-rushing group.
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