Draft Guru Forecasts Stunning Broncos Trade-Up in Final Mock

There are many incredible draft content creators and mock draft manufacturers covering the league, but some have carved out the hallowed ground of true expertise on the spectacle that has become the NFL draft, as well as the ample mocks that precede the first team officially going on the clock.

Many mock drafts are noise, but that isn’t the case for NFL Network's long-time analyst Daniel Jeremiah. With his fourth and final mock draft, Jeremiah has the Broncos reverting back to what once was the team’s most popularly linked prospect, though he has since been distanced, in Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.

Only this time, it's via a trade-up with the Miami Dolphins at No. 13 overall, moving seven spots to land Loveland.

"I believe Loveland is highly coveted by a bunch of teams, and it seems like the Dolphins would like to add more draft capital. Sean Payton has never been shy about being aggressive -- the Saints traded up in the first round four times during his tenure as head coach," Jeremiah wrote. "If he wants something, he usually goes and gets it. The signing of Evan Engram would not preclude Denver from making an aggressive move for Loveland."

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By trading up with the Dolphins from 20 to 13, Jeremiah predicts the Broncos to snipe the Indianapolis Colts (the team that's most now commonly paired with Loveland), the Broncos add an additional weapon for the offense. As Jeremiah states, adding the soon-to-be 31-year-old Evan Engram by no means should keep the Broncos from adding a tight end early in the draft.

Engram keeps the Broncos from being desperate at the position, yes, but there are ample reps and targets to go around for both weapons and the rest of the pass-catchers in Denver.

Listed as Jeremiah’s No. 7 overall player in the class (ranked one spot behind the draft’s other top tight end in Penn State’s Tyler Warren), Jeremiah describes the Michigan tight end as a “long, lean tight end with outstanding awareness, quickness, and big-play ability… Overall, Loveland is equipped to make a lot of catches as a starting tight end in his rookie campaign.”

Loveland is still developing as a blocker to meet the standard of an NFL in-line tight end, but given his youth and frame, there is optimism he can continue to grow into at least an adequate option. Tight ends typically take time to develop, and given Loveland’s youth, there is understandable excitement and optimism for not only what he can be in 2025 but also a few years down the road.

While it is certainly bold for a team to move up for a position such as tight end, given the historical hit rate for the position (teams are about as likely to find good starting tight ends on Day 2 as they are Round 1), and the value teams place on tight ends contractually compared to other positions, but that shouldn’t dissuade Sean Payton and the Broncos from making a move if they believe Loveland can be a superstar in this offense.

A bold prediction of a bold move for the Broncos, moving up the board. It would no doubt shock many of the denizens of Broncos Country who believe the team has the tight end spot “solved” after adding Engram earlier, but if Denver loved Loveland before free agency, it should still love him now.

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