Horse Tracks: Should the Broncos trade up for Ashton Jeanty

Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton met with the media for the final time before the start of the 2025 NFL Draft. During this press conference, Payton told reporters that “There will be a focus on the running back position. It’s a pretty good draft for running backs.”

If there is a focus on the running back position, why wouldn’t the Broncos at least entertain the possibility of trading up for the top-ranked running back, Ashton Jeanty? The Heisman runner-up is coming off a historic season and is one of the top running back prospects to come out in quite a while. He would give the Broncos a dynamic weapon at running back and make Sean Payton’s offense that much more dangerous this upcoming season.

The problem is, Jeanty is a top-ranked player in the draft and is projected to go to the divisional rival Raiders at 6th overall. If the Raiders do pass on Jeanty (please do), then the Broncos should seriously consider moving up to get Jeanty.

General Manager George Paton told reporters today that these trade talks began this week and will get more serious next week. Could the Broncos have a framework of a deal already in place to move up for Jeanty?

“I would say both, really. We’ve made calls—this week you make a lot of calls and then next week [are] the more serious calls. ‘Hey, if this player is here, we want to move up,’ or what have you. I’ve talked to most [general managers] in the NFL to set the table or set the plan of, ‘Hey, if your player is here and you move up, what’s the range?’ You start talking parameters. It gets more serious next week and then really draft day. Sometimes, you haven’t heard from a team and someone just really wants to come up and they are aggressive [because] their player is there. I would say this week, next [week] and then draft day. All three.”

While a trade-up for Jeanty seems unlikely due to him being such a highly thought-of prospect, you have to believe Payton and the Broncos are at least entertaining the idea. When Sean Payton wants a guy, he gets aggressive for him and will move heaven and earth to do so.

Will he do that for Ashton Jeanty next Thursday night? We’ll see.

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