George Paton Won’t Rule Out Broncos Trading Up in Draft

Over the past week, the NFL rumor mill has cranked out buzz that the Denver Broncos could be looking to make another big move, and Aqib Talib claims it could be on draft day. 'Tis 'lying season,' so keep that in mind when you bend your ear toward the NFL rumor mill.

Sitting at No. 62 overall, a trade-up into the first round would certainly qualify as "big" for the Broncos. But how plausible would such a move be, considering that Denver lacks a third-rounder this year?

In his pre-draft press conference alongside head coach Sean Payton, Broncos GM George Paton said that trading up into Round 1 one is "unlikely," but he was significantly more open to climbing up from No. 62 in Round 2.

“You never say never, but it’s unlikely. It would cost quite a haul for us to get up there," Paton said on Thursday. "Most of our draft we would have to trade, and then something next year. I would say that it’s unlikely, but we could certainly move up in the second [round].”

Broncos' Second-Round Success

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (12) runs with the ball during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Those Broncos fans still pining for a shot at Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq should probably put those hopes to bed. The Broncos may trade up in Round 2, using their pair of fourth-round picks as capital, but Round 1 is likely off the menu.

That's okay. Over the past five years, the Broncos have entered two previous drafts without a first-round pick. In each instance where Paton's second-round selection had to serve as Denver's first pick of the class, he hit a homerun.

Rush linebacker Nik Bonitto was that guy in 2022, going No. 64 overall. The following year, the Broncos took wideout/returner Marvin Mims Jr. at No. 63 overall. With seven combined seasons between them, Bonitto and Mims have totaled four All-Pro nods already.

Drafting in the 60s is a zone the Broncos feel very comfortable doing. Even last year, they seemingly knocked it out of the park again at No. 60 overall, drafting running back RJ Harvey.

And let's not forget, in each instance (Bonitto/Mims/Harvey), the Broncos received media and some fan blowback for "reaching" on these selections. That's never deterred Paton or Payton, nor should it, and quarterback Bo Nix is another example of a supposed "reach" redounding to Denver's great benefit.

"Our process has worked, and it continues to evolve. I think it’s better," Paton said. "We’ve done well in that realm. It doesn’t mean anything. We still go through our process. We feel like we have six players we’re kind of focused on that could be there at [pick] 62. We feel good about those players."

The Takeaway

The Broncos aren't about to signal their true intentions in the 2026 draft. However, I do believe that trading up into Round 1, barring an unforeseen golden opportunity that arises on draft day, isn't frot-of-brain at Broncos HQ right now.

It would be awesome to know the names of those six prospects the Broncos like at pick No. 62. But fans can only wait and see how the action on unfolds on draft night.

The 2026 NFL draft is on Thursday, April 23, at 6 pm MDT. Mile High Huddle will stream live on YouTube throughout — all three days — so subscribe to join the active conversations.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google