Broncos Act On Draft Day Deal with Rams in Latest NFL Mock

Could the Denver Broncos benefit from a trade down scenario later this month?

Aug 26, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton (right) greets Los / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The clock is quickly winding down until we'll see what the Denver Broncos do come April 25th's first round of the NFL Draft, but the projections on what the franchise will do continue to roll in as we approach the highly-anticipated date.

Mock drafts ahead of the 2024 draft have been abundant, but many of them have the Broncos sticking and picking at their selection. Instead, in Nick Baumgardner's NFL mock draft for The Athletic, Denver and Los Angeles Rams make a deal surrounding a trade down at 12:

Denver Broncos receive: 19th-overall, 52nd-overall

Los Angeles Rams receive: 12th-overall

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While Baumgardner has the Rams selecting Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner with their pick, the Broncos end up landing Oregon quarterback Bo Nix amid their troubles under center. As Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are the only QBs on the depth chart, taking a flier on another in the first round makes a load of sense.

"The Broncos really need a quarterback," Baumgardner notes. "The Sean Payton plan will go nowhere without one. And though this might be too high for Nix, I’m still sending him to Payton. Denver trades down, gets a QB and acquires extra capital — tough to beat that."

Nix is coming off a stellar season with the Ducks where he generated 4,508 passing yards, 45 touchdowns, and three interceptions on an impressive 77.4% completion rate.

Considering the Broncos are stuck without their second-rounder this spring as a result of the haunting Russell Wilson trade, moving back a few spots to reclaim some of that draft capital is logical. Aaron Donald is out of the mix in Los Angeles, so bringing in some talent in the front seven is a move that adds up on their end as well.

Nix has been a popular selection for the Broncos at 12 across multiple mocks, but if the team can bolster their opportunity to bring in additional young talent, a trade like this is easy to see Payton and Co. pounce on.

We'll get some concrete answers on how Denver will tackle this critical draft at the end of the month, but keep all options open for how this unpredictable process could go down.

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