Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy's Fate Sealed With Round 1 in the Books

Only a dramatic trade would have seen the Denver Broncos' war room spring into action during the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Those who firmly believed that Denver should hold onto wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton were delighted that neither player was dealt in a trade during the first round of the draft on Thursday night.

Obtaining a first-round choice in return for Jeudy would have made a deal workable had the Broncos decided to trade the 24-year-old wide receiver. With Round 1 in the books, Jeudy can now confidently look forward to the decision that the Broncos will have to make by May 2 about exercising his fifth-year option.

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In the late first round, a consecutive run on wideouts, from picks 20 through 23, put any possible Broncos trades involving Jeudy to bed. Even with those trade options sailing away, Broncos Country will be keen to see whether GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton are willing to part with Sutton, especially if a second-round pick were to materialize on Friday.

All previous indicators point to the Broncos holding onto Sutton, so a unique set of circumstances would have to develop to change that outlook. If Round 2 concludes and Sutton stays put, all the attention will turn to the Broncos finally joining the draft party with back-to-back selections at pick No. 67 and 68 in Round 3.

The Broncos had to watch the Seattle Seahawk (No. 5) and New Orleans Saints (No. 29) make selections on Thursday night with picks that once belonged to Denver. After what has been an agonizing wait, the Broncos finally get to join the draft action on Friday night.

Day 2 of the 2023 NFL draft starts at 5 pm MDT. Mile High Huddle will be live-stream podcasting throughout Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft, so be sure to catch the broadcast beginning at 5 pm MDT on Friday evening.

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