Rumor: Broncos to Make 'Big Move Up' for QB in 2024 Draft?

Sean Payton "wants his guy now."

This time of year — NFL draft season, also known as lying season — it's important to watch not what the Denver Broncos say but what they ultimately do.

What they're saying, publicly, tamps the notion of a potential blockbuster in April's draft, with general manager George Paton suggesting Denver will hold firm at or even trade down from its No. 12 overall pick to stockpile desperately needed capital.

“It’s important to hit on most of your picks, especially when you’re picking that high," Paton said on Jan. 9. "We haven’t had a first-round pick since 2021, and that one worked out pretty well. We’re excited, but we don’t want to have to pick up here again. We’re excited to be picking there.”

What they're discussing privately, however, could be just that: a potential blockbuster. And for who else but the most important position in all of sports.

"There is a belief by many in the scouting community that Sean Payton has something cooking for the early portion of the #NFLDraft," Cecil Lammey of DenverSports.com reported Monday. "People I trust DO NOT see DEN waiting for a falling QB, These evaluators believe the #Broncos will make a BIG move up for a QB."

Lammey added: "The NFL thinks Payton is going to move up, no matter what. Don't ask about compensation. Some think it won't matter b/c SP won't wait on QB. He wants his guy NOW."

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In a top-heavy quarterback class, three prospects comprise the A-tier: USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, and LSU's Jayden Daniels. There's then a drop-off to the B-tier of Washington's Michael Penix, Oregon's Bo Nix, and Michigan's JJ McCarthy.

Nearly every projection has Williams, Maye, and Daniels long gone before the Broncos go on the clock, forcing Payton and Co. to choose a QB consolation prize. Unless they don't.

Unless they, as is the scuttlebutt, make an aggressive maneuver up the board for Russell Wilson's successor — whomever that may be.

"Right now, people I trust see Drake Maye as the PERFECT fit for Sean Payton," said Lammey. "There is a belief that Jayden Daniels could go off the board higher than Maye, but these two are likely to go near back-to-back in the #NFLDraft

With only one selection in the top 75, the move would be another mortgage-the-future variety, similar to the Broncos' consecutive offseason trades for Wilson and Payton. The cost is prohibitive, a likely war chest of high-round picks and possibly starting players depending on how high they shoot.

But few have ever accused Paton or Payton of being passive in their respective jobs. If the collective determines that a long-term, franchise signal-caller exists in this year's crop, and believes he can restore the Broncos to championship contention, there's no such thing as too expensive.

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