Broncos Predicted to Pass on a QB at Pick 12 by Two Draft Experts
The Denver Broncos' search for a new quarterback is the low-hanging fruit for mock drafters, and we can expect that to continue until the final selections are made in Detroit on April 25, but two of the most prominent voices on the NFL draft landscape foresee a different result on Day 1.
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah and The Athletic's Dane Brugler predict the Broncos to pivot away from quarterback. Both mock drafters predict three signal-callers to be taken in the top 10 this time around.
But instead of taking a signal-caller, Jeremiah and Brugler predict the Broncos will shake things up, refuse to make a trade up or down, and will instead take the first cornerback off the draft board in Alabama's Terrion Arnold.
I think Arnold could go as high as fifth overall. He’s the best cornerback in this draft and he would pair with Pat Surtain II to give the Broncos one of the best CB tandems in the league, if not the best.
Here's what Brugler said of Denver taking Arnold.
There won’t be a consensus CB1, but Arnold has the best package of traits — and I know several NFL scouts who feel the same way. Though he’s not the most disciplined corner in the draft, Arnold is a top-tier athlete with outstanding competitiveness and ball production (17 passes defended and five interceptions in 2023).
All things being equal, the Broncos would feel comfortable taking another Bama cornerback, especially after how well Surtain has worked out since being drafted at No. 9 overall in 2021. Drafting defense first would suggest that GM George Paton and Payton will have found a quarterback solution by that point.
Passing on Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, who Jeremiah forecasts will go only two picks after the Broncos turn their card in, would be sure to trigger plenty of debate, much like the 2021 draft when the team passed on Justin Fields and Mac Jones to take Surtain. Perhaps the possibility of drafting a defensive player first would speak more to Denver's faith in defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Restocking a Broncos defense that was up-and-down in 2023 would be viewed as essential draft business in a normal offseason. But with Russell Wilson expected to be released, the quarterback position understandably has Broncos Country very concerned.
Heading into the 2024 offseason, hardcore Broncos fans will be obsessing over every breadcrumb on the pre-draft trail, and not everyone will be particularly thrilled if Jeremiah's projection is proven correct and Arnold is the pick.
One interesting omission from Jeremiah's list of first-round picks is Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Should the passer who helped deliver Jim Harbaugh a National Championship slip to the second round, Payton could be tempted to seek a trade-up to secure Denver a developmental passer, much like the move up the board last year to land wideout-turned-returner Marvin Mims Jr., who earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors as a rookie.
Jeremiah is predicting that Terrion could go as high as the No. 5 overall pick, yet somehow, he remains available for Denver at 12. That value could end up forcing the Broncos' hand, especially considering the team's need for another starting boundary corner opposite Surtain.
Having potentially the best cornerback duo would be an extremely tantalizing prospect for the Broncos, but it would require many things to fall into place, including the team finding an answer at quarterback along the way. Much work will need to be done in order to juggle the Broncos' overextended salary-cap situation, not least of which will be making room for a long-term contract extension for Surtain.
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