Insider Pumps the Brakes on Broncos Trade-Up Rumors

The rumor mill has been working overtime, with the Denver Broncos on the doorstep of the 2025 NFL draft.

Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) practices before the Fiesta Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Stadium. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Will the Denver Broncos move up from pick 20 overall in the NFL draft? Will Sean Payton go against his nature and allow the Broncos to trade down?

Did the renaissance of the running back position over the last year influence the Broncos enough to elevate the position to a round-one need, given the state of the current depth chart?

With less than 24 hours to go until the NFL draft, there have been ample rumors surrounding the Broncos and whether they'll move up the draft board and potentially target a running back. According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, though, the Broncos sticking with their original pick or a slight move back is more probable.

“Don't expect the same kind of fireworks from the Broncos, one year after they took Bo Nix. Sean Payton does fall in love with players, but the sense I get right now is that Denver is comfortable with sticking at pick No. 20 and selecting the player it wants — or trading back," Russini wrote. "I heard the Broncos love some of the running backs, but not enough to move up.”

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The heavy favorite for the Broncos currently is North Carolina’s do-it-all running back Omarion Hampton. Considered one of two or three first-round caliber running backs in this class, Hampton is closer to Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson than Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, but a talented option that could provide the cherry on top for the Broncos' offensive depth chart in 2025.

But what if the Broncos value Hampton and Henderson the same, with both on the board at pick 20? The Broncos could feasibly risk not landing either in such a deep running back class, where a slight move down the board could still net them one of their preferred backs with additional draft capital.

With so many teams eager to trade back, the Broncos aren't likely to get the type of return a team normally would get moving back five or 15 spots on the board from No. 20 overall. But in a class with depth across the areas where the Broncos have the most needs, a trade back is certainly a viable pathway in the first round.

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