Broncos Predicted to Trade Up in NFL.com's 4-Round Mock Draft

If the Denver Broncos trade up in the first round, would it be for Tyler Warren?

Keith Cummings | Mar 23, 2025

Nov 4, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) runs by Penn State Nittany Lions safety Keaton Ellis (2) during the first half at SECU Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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While most previous mock drafts have had the Denver Broncos staying put at pick 20 in the first round, NFL.com's Chad Reuter opted to throw a curveball, adding some layers of intrigue. Reuter's detailed four-round mock projects the Broncos to make a costly trade with the Dallas Cowboys to land Penn State tight end Tyler Warren at No. 12 overall.

"Sean Payton takes advantage of teams overlooking Warren's skills, sending Denver's first- and second-round picks to Dallas for this selection and a fifth-rounder," Reuter wrote. "The tight end brings great value to second-year signal-caller Bo Nix as a strong but nimble pass catcher who’s able to move the chains, get down the seam and be a major red zone threat."

Giving up the 20th, 51st, and a future fifth-round selection would perhaps shock some in Broncos Country. But then again, Warren is a special player.

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After making a free-agent power move just recently to acquire a “joker” type weapon in tight end Evan Engram, double dipping on the prodigiously talented Warren would deserve further examination. By drafting the most polished and skilled tight end in the draft, Sean Payton would suddenly have a pass-catching duo at the position spearheaded by both the experienced Engram and rookie Warren.

Almost instantly, the Broncos matchup conundrum at tight end would be the envy of the entire NFL and make Nix drool at the prospect. Nevertheless, it's an extremely risky move to overload at just one position, especially when the Broncos would remain absolutely desperate to fill their glaring void at the running back spot.

By also giving up their second-rounder in Reuter's mock trade scenario, the Broncos' key decision-makers would be in double jeopardy territory. Should the Broncos miss out on a starting-caliber running back, opposing teams could pin their ears back and come after their second-year quarterback in ever-increasing numbers.

The 2025 draft class is as super loaded with running backs and quite possibly at an unparalleled level. Surely, that will come to bear on whether the Broncos decide to swing for the fences and trade up for Warren — a move that would morph the tight end room into a two-headed monster with which to attack opposing defenses.

Even so, Reuter then projects the running back-needy Broncos to bolster an already talented edge rusher group in Round 3 with Ole Miss' Princely Umanmielen, a project pass rusher. All the threads start to tie together much more tangibly as Reuter's draft process plays out, and much to the relief of Broncos fans.

Reuter projects Arizona State's Cam Skattebo to join the Broncos' extremely threadbare running back corps in Round 4, assuaging some concerns about this mock's real-world viability. Skattebo is a bonafide throwback kind of player whose pure versatility and ability would fit well with what Payton likes to do on offense.

Everything the Broncos have done this offseason suggests a hell-bent intention of doing their utmost to enter a Super Bowl window. With that at the forefront, let's give Reuter credit for his bullish predictions for the Broncos.

Broncos Predicted to Trade Up in NFL.com's 4-Round Mock Draft

Keith Cummings | Mar 23, 2025

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