NFL.com's 3-Round Mock Draft Forecasts a Costly Broncos Trade-Up

With the Super Bowl in the books, the Denver Broncos and every NFL team are focused on improving their roster. Teams build a consistent contending team through the draft, and to that end, NFL.com's Chad Reuter released his post-Super Bowl three-round mock draft.

Reuter had the Broncos only making two picks in this mock because they traded up in the first round. Let's take a look at how Reuter envisions the Broncos maneuvering in the draft, and how the trade-up shook out.

Round 1, Pick 16: Colston Loveland | TE | Michigan

The Broncos use their third-round pick and one of their three sixth-round picks to move up four spots to get Loveland. Denver also received a fifth-round pick back. Here's what Reuter said:

“Loveland's reliable hands, body control, foot quickness, and willingness to block should endear him to head coach Sean Payton,” Reuter wrote.

Analysis

Loveland is a decent blocker, but he may not be good enough to trust as an in-line tight end, especially early in his NFL career. His utilization changed last year, with him being pulled off the field in some blocking situations as Michigan figured out its offense with poor quarterback play.

Loveland is probably a big slot tight end early on, which is what many have pegged for the Broncos ‘joker’ role that Sean Payton covets. Loveland is a great receiver option with high-quality hands.

He only dropped nine passes in three years and picked up 1,466 receiving yards, and this is without the caliber of quarterback play Bo Nix would bring. The concern with Loveland is that he doesn’t make defenders miss or offer up much after the catch. These are two statistics that have a strong correlation with success at the NFL level.

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Round 2, Pick 51: Carson Schwesinger | LB | UCLA

Payton wants to improve in the middle of the field, and on defense, that includes improving the linebacker room. Schwesinger is a talented linebacker, a smooth mover with good instincts and the football IQ to make plays in coverage. He works downhill with force and physicality against the run, and flies laterally to defend sideline-to-sideline.

Analysis

With Alex Singleton returning from an injury, Schwesinger would be a great addition to the room. While 51st overall may seem high, the expectation is for an excellent NFL Combine performance from Schwesinger, which could see his draft stock skyrocket.

Even as Schwesinger grows and develops as a rookie, he would be an immediate upgrade over Cody Barton and Justin Strnad. Schwesinger has been compared to Fred Warner, and while I don’t fully agree with that take, I can see where it's coming from.

Bottom Line

Ideally, the Broncos don’t trade up for a tight end, especially in a deep class. There are other options, like Elijah Arroyo (Miami) who many draft analysts have rocketing up boards, and some are even putting ahead of Loveland.

It won’t be shocking to see Arroyo in the first round of mocks after the Combine. He's a better talent than Loveland, but he does have some medicals that need to be checked out at the Combine.

Schwesinger would be a fine pick to fill a need. When you’re picking 51st overall, it depends on how the board looks, but there are scenarios where Schewesinger is the best player available when the Broncos pick there.

This was a mock draft to fill needs, which all mock drafts are at this point. However, teams don’t draft purely for immediate needs, outside of quarterback, and the Broncos aren’t in a position to pass up on better talents.

Round 1, Pick 16: Colston Loveland | TE | Michigan

Round 2, Pick 51: Carson Schwesinger | LB | UCLA

Bottom Line

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