The Denver Broncos are making calls about trades, and while Sean Payton hasn’t traded down before, that seems to be the direction the team is leaning. Considering the way this class looks and the Broncos' needs, trading up may not be cost-efficient, and they would have to relinquish future capital.
So, with the Broncos potentially poised to trade down, there are three partners primed to make a deal. Each of these potential trades uses six actual draft-day trades as a baseline and then adjusts for the position the Broncos are moving up for, as well as the current year.
Trade: Denver sends 20 to Buffalo for 30, 62, and 132 overall.
Of the three trade ideas, this is the only one where the partnering team isn’t moving up for a quarterback. Instead, the Bills need help getting after the quarterback, and they need a cornerback, and could also be looking for help at wide receiver.
If players like Will Johnson, Mike Green, Shemar Stewart, Derrick Harmon, Jahdae Barron, Kenneth Grant, Tetairoa McMillan, or certain others, fall to 20, the Bills could look at getting ahead of the rush that is expected to come in the early-mid 20s for those positions.
The Bills are a team looking at getting over the hump and into the Super Bowl, which could make them willing to go all-in on a player. If Buffalo is desperate, the Broncos could try to get the 109th pick over the 132nd pick and/or the 56th pick, as the Bills have two seconds and two fourths, but no third-rounder.
Round 2 through Round 4 is where many believe the meat of this class lies, so the Broncos should try to get more ammo in that range if they are moving down from 20. Also, future capital could be coveted by the Broncos as well.
Since it's not for a quarterback and the Bills are unlikely to be overly desperate, they may be the hardest of the three teams for Broncos GM George Paton to fleece. The Broncos can pit the two following teams against each other to drive up the price. .
The Pittsburgh Steelers are next on the clock at No. 21, and their coaches and front office may be desperate for a quarterback. The Broncos will be in a position to take advantage of the situation from the teams behind Pittsburgh that are looking to get in front of them to land a quarterback.
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Trade: Denver sends pick 20 to Cleveland for No. 33, 67, 94, and a 2026 second or third-rounder.
Trade: Denver sends pick 20 to the New York Giants for No. 34, 65, 99, and a 2026 second- or third-rounder.
These two can be combined because they're in the same boat.
What can help the Broncos is if Colorado quarterback Shaduer Sanders falls this far, as both teams have taken a liking to him. There have been reports that both teams would love to pair Travis Hunter, selected second or third overall, with Sanders later on. There has also been a lot of buzz linking the Steelers with Sanders, meaning Denver is the spot to trade up to.
If Sanders is gone, then Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart is in the same boat, and could have even more teams wanting to move up for him based on multiple reports that have surfaced. This gives the Broncos all the power when it comes to negotiations and the ability to ask for a lot.
Again, the meat of the 2025 class is from Round 2 to Round 4, and both potential offers would give the Broncos two additional picks in that range, while replacing No. 20 overall with one of the first two picks of the second round.
The Broncos' roster is in a good spot, but it still has some issues, especially the depth, which is why these trades can be so helpful for their roster construction.
The two extra third-round picks, either 65 and 99 or 67 and 94, would also enable the Broncos to move up if Sean Payton wants to, which he has done multiple times since arriving in Denver. It could lead to a situation where, after trading from 20, the Broncos then move up from No. 51 and select two players that Payton may love.
As the NFL draft approaches, these are the three teams most likely to be looking to trade up. There have likely been discussions already, which Paton has alluded to without naming specific teams, and they'll likely continue this week.
In most cases, teams agree to trades before the draft, with some backing out and others going through depending on how the board falls.
There are only a few days left until Broncos Country finds out what Paton and Payton are working on to help the team take the next step in its growth.
