© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Broncos Trade Up, Land Championship QB in Latest ESPN Prediction
The price would be steep, but it would get Sean Payton his quarterback lynchpin with whom to center the Denver Broncos rebuild.
In the wake of the Arizona Cardinals making it clear that they're open to offers for the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, ESPN mock draft guru Matt Miller has the Denver Broncos striking such a deal and trading up to land their quarterback of the future.
Miller foresees the Broncos having to give up the No. 12 overall pick, a 2025 first-, and a 2026 first-rounder to the Cardinals to acquire pick No. 4 overall. With that pick, Miller projects the Broncos taking Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
That would make it three first-rounders to move up to No. 4, and after two offseasons of seeing the Broncos sit out Day 1 of the draft, fans might view such a package as a small price to pay if it meant solving the big roster hole that has persisted in Denver since Peyton Manning hung up his cleats in 2016.
Time will tell whether the Broncos pull the trigger on a trade-up, but No. 4 is the floor if GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton want to guarantee landing one of the top-four quarterbacks in the 2024 class, including McCarthy. McCarthy's draft stock has skyrocketed since leading Michigan to a National Championship vs. Washington.
McCarthy followed up that up with a productive NFL Combine, which saw his stock climb further. Since meeting with him in Indianapolis, there has been a lot of buzz connecting the Broncos to McCarthy.
Stay tuned.
Follow Mile High Huddle on X and Facebook, and subscribe on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
