The Broncos’ season has come to an end. With Sunday’s loss to the Raiders, Denver has secured the No. 9 pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
While the draft is still nearly four months away and the Broncos are without a general manager after John Elway stepped down from the role, there’s plenty of speculation as to who Denver should target on April 29.
Here’s a look at who national draftniks are thinking will land in Denver.
247Sports | Brad Crawford | Updated Jan. 4
Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
“Farley opted out prior to the season in fear of COVID-19, he said on the record. He led ACC in pass breakups with 16 as a third-year sophomore last fall tied for second in the conference with four interceptions — including two Oct. 5 at Miami — putting him on the path to a potential first-round-pick projection for the 2021 draft.” .
Sporting News | Vinnie Iyer | Updated Jan. 4
Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
“The Broncos had shaky cornerback play with aging A.J. Bouye as their best outside option. They will also think about further boosting their edge pass rush, but they also won’t pass up on some shutdown potential for the secondary. Farley was one of the first top prospects to opt out for his final college season. He has great size and solid all-around coverage skills for the position.” .
Bleacher Report | Gary Davenport | Updated Jan. 4
Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
“When the 2020 season began, Mac Jones of Alabama wasn’t on the radar as a high-end draft prospect, and it can’t be denied that he has benefitted from playing in a loaded Tide offense. But he just laid a beatdown on an overmatched Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinal, and the strong-armed 6’3″, 214-pounder is a Heisman finalist who owns the highest passing efficiency rating of any quarterback in the nation.” .
CBS Sports | Josh Edwards | Updated Jan. 4
Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
“I still believe it is in Denver’s best interest to trade Von Miller for draft capital this offseason but they already have Bradley Chubb and Malik Reed has provided some moments of hope. Micah Parsons would give the Broncos some elite play in the front seven.” .
SB Nation | James Dator | Updated Jan. 4
Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
“In a perfect world the Broncos would trade down a little with a team wanting a quarterback jumping up, but for the sake of this exercise I have they staying put and drafting a rangy, reliable offensive tackle to help fix their line. Rashawn Slater is an athletic, excellent tackle who won’t be a sexy pick, but it’ll be the right one.” .
DraftKings Nation | Chet Gresham and Collin Sherwin | Updated Jan. 4
Patrick Surtain II, DB, Alabama
“He’s not a quick-twitch guy, but if you need someone to cover physical wide receivers on go routes he’s your pick. At 6’2, 200, he’s physical enough to jam and has excellent ball skills. If you can start 12 games at Alabama as a true freshman, you’re probably worthy of a top-10 pick on that alone. A quality Rose Bowl doesn’t hurt either.” .
