Whilst the focus with the Denver Broncos has remained fixed on their potential draftees, perhaps an overlooked part of their draft day process is on trades.
Not trades for picks - although general manager George Paton has been more than amenable to those throughout his tenure in Denver.
Instead, trades for players. Mile High Report, in a post on Tuesday, revealed an interesting, ongoing trend concerning head coach Sean Payton and the team's draft-day trades.
Who Could The Broncos Trade For During The 2025 NFL Draft?
It is not clear that the team will continue to do so, with at just two instances this pattern could simply just be a coincidence.
But it could also point to both Payton and Paton's willingness and desire to acquire actual proven veteran players whilst every other team is focused on prospects in the draft.
A day in which every team's phone is on, and each organization is looking to make deals - sometimes in desperation - in order to get their guy. So, for them to take advantage of that once again in 2025 certainly would not be a shock.
As for the individual players, there is one clear go-to answer: Taysom Hill.
Hill was one of Payton's favorites back during his time with New Orleans Saints, and is arguably the quintessential "joker" that the Super Bowl champion is still looking for.
Even at age 35, playing on a sputtering New Orleans offense, Hill managed 187 receiving yards and 278 rushing yards. Having played a significant role on offense for just six seasons, there is also substantially less tread on his tires than with most other players of a similar age and pedigree.
If Denver misses out on a tight end early on in the draft, it would not be shocking to see them give up a late day-three pick and reunite Payton with his former offensive Swiss army knife.
