Rumor Mill Roundup: Latest Buzz on the Broncos' Draft Intentions

Rumors are swirling around the Denver Broncos and with the NFL Draft little more than a week away, it's no surprise. It is the lying season after all.

GMs across the league are putting out suspect information to their sources in the media, some of which is true, most of which serve as a smokescreen to camouflage their true intent.

What sort of rumors have emerged out of the Mile High City of late? Let's touch on three.

A Trade Between 15 & 46

The Broncos currently hold the No. 15 overall pick, the No. 46 pick in the second round and three third-rounders. Last week, KUSA's Mike Klis posed the possibility of the Broncos making their first-round pick and before going on the clock at 46, using that trio of third-rounders to move up to either the late first- or early second-round.

It would be a move similar to last year, where GM John Elway traded back from pick 10 to 20 where he took TE Noah Fant, followed by OG Dalton Risner at pick 41, while trading up with the third-round capital gleaned from his day one trade with Pittsburgh to grab QB Drew Lock at 42. Confused yet?

In other words, don't be surprised if Denver ends up making a total of three selections by the time the second round ends.

Veracity Barometer: Considering that Elway pulled off something similar last year, and factoring in that Klis is the most plugged-in Broncos insider, there's a good chance it unfolds this way if the board falls favorably.

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Looking to Trade up... for a Tackle?

The next rumor was one that was floated by Albert Breer on Monday wherein the SI writer revealed that he's heard Denver is among a handful of teams looking to trade up for one of the top-four offensive tackles.

Although this is the rumor that would best suit what I'd like to see happen, it's the most improbable knowing what we do about the Broncos' hot pursuit of speedy wideouts and the team's relative confidence in Garett Bolles and Ja'Wuan James for 2020.

The top-four OTs, for what it's worth, include Iowa's Tristan Wirfs, Alabama's Jedrick Wills, Louisville's Mekhi Becton, and Georgia's Andrew Thomas.

Veracity Barometer: As much as I'd love to see the Broncos land any one of those four OTs, if Elway moves up in the first round, the odds are it'll either be for one of the top-three WRs or one of the premier defenders like Clemson's Isaiah Simmons and Ohio State's Jeffrey Okudah, but only if one of those two plummets beyond pick No. 5.

At the end of the day, I'll be beyond surprised if the Broncos take anyone other than a wideout or cornerback in round one. But don't rule it out as a possibility, especially with ESPN's Jeff Legwold making it clear late last week that OT is very much still on the table at pick 15.

Broncos 'Really Like' Three WRs

We already knew that the Broncos like Alabama's speedster Henry Ruggs III. It's the worst-kept secret in the NFL this offseason. It stands to reason, considering the team's need at WR, that the Broncos 'really like' about 10 pass-catchers in this class.

But The Athletic's Dane Brugler boiled it down further by reporting on Monday that the Broncos have eyes for the other Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy, as well as Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb and Baylor's Denzel Mims.

Veracity Barometer: This one is in all likelihood true but that doesn't really tell us anything that we didn't already know. The Broncos are in the market for a WR2 and while I'm sure Elway has his preferences, I don't doubt that he 'really likes' any of the, say, top-10 WRs.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.