It’s crucial for the Broncos to strike a balance between addressing their immediate needs and securing a long-term solution at quarterback. Exploring trade opportunities or free agency could indeed offer more immediate solutions at QB without sacrificing too much future draft capital.
With needs at center, edge rusher, and cornerback, they have to assess the talent available in the draft and weigh it against the potential cost of moving up. If they decide to stay put, they could still find quality players to address those positions while potentially targeting a quarterback in later rounds or through other avenues.
Ultimately, it’s about maximizing their resources to build a competitive roster while also keeping an eye on the future. It’s a challenging task, but with careful planning and strategic decision-making, they can navigate these complexities and position themselves for success.
Check back here for all Denver Broncos 2024 NFL Draft Updates:
- Remaining Starter Needs: QB, C, EDGE, CB
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR
QUARTERBACK
1. QB CALEB WILLIAMS, USC
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 1
Williams is an incredibly talented player with natural gifts even other previous QB1s do not have. His issues are more from a lack of consistency than ability in any area. This is a QB with franchise-changing talent that is worthy of a No. 1 overall selection.
2. QB DRAKE MAYE, NORTH CAROLINA
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 3
Maye’s arm talent alone puts him in the first-round and top-10 conversation. Though his ball placement and decision-making (including sacks taken) need improvement, he has all the talent tools you want to bet on as a franchise QB.
3. QB JAYDEN DANIELS, LSU
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 22
Daniels’ rushing ability and fundamentals give him a high floor as a player who can put a ton of stress on a defense. His arm talent is good enough to give him a decently high ceiling and makes him a worthy first-round bet to make.
4. QB J.J. MCCARTHY, MICHIGAN
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 28
McCarthy is not a finished product, but he is a growing quarterback with experience in a pro-style offense and good tools (physical and mental) to be a starting QB in the NFL.
5. QB BO NIX, OREGON
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 33
Nix’s experience manifests in the form of pre-snap reads, play under pressure, and avoiding negatives. His footwork needs to be more disciplined, and he will take some time to really read progressions better in the NFL, but he is a QB with starting-caliber tools in his arm and his legs with added out-of-structure playmaking.
6. QB MICHAEL PENIX JR., WASHINGTON
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 46
Penix Jr. has an NFL-level arm talent in addition to two years of good health and top-tier production in a spread-out shotgun offense. However, to become a consistent starter and top-15 quarterback in the league, he will need to clean up his footwork, throw with more anticipation and touch (which will improve ball placement), as well as be willing to attack the middle of the field.
CENTER
1. C JACKSON POWERS-JOHNSON, OREGON
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 19
Powers-Johnson possesses starting-caliber power and finesse traits at center or guard for both zone or man/gap-blocking concepts. He is dominant enough at his position to be considered a top-20 talent.
2. C ZACH FRAZIER, WEST VIRGINIA
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 31
Frazier’s background and build give him a high floor as a scheme-versatile center who is worthy of an early Day 2 pick and a starting role.
3. C SEDRICK VAN PRAN, GEORGIA
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 93
Van Pran is a high-IQ center prospect whose acumen, experience and physical mentality warrant a shot at a starting role (center only) in a man/gap-heavy scheme despite some athletic limitations.
EDGE
1. ED DALLAS TURNER, ALABAMA
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 16
Although he can continue to improve as a run defender and a tackler, Turner is a first-round type of edge rusher with high-ceiling pass-rush traits who can contribute in year one with a bright future ahead.
2. ED JARED VERSE, FLORIDA STATE
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 17
Verse doesn’t have the longest arms, and that shows up in some pass-rush counters and in tackling, but he brings his hard hat and lunch pail to every snap, wins with strength regularly and is built like a first-rounder.
3. ED LAIATU LATU, UCLA
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 20
Overall, though somewhat limited athletically, his home is in the offensive backfield due to his hand usage and pass-rush moves that will continue to win at the NFL level.
4. ED CHRIS BRASWELL, ALABAMA
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 37
Even if he doesn’t become a pass-rush technician, his power, speed and length present a rotational role as a floor and an impact starter ceiling.
5. ED CHOP ROBINSON, PENN STATE
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 43
Regardless of his lack of polish, Robinson is a gifted player athletically — likely on a level that is top of the class. A lot of what leaves you wanting more from Robinson is coachable. Unlocking that is the key for him to go from a boom-or-bust athlete to a dominant edge defender.
CORNER BACK
1. WILL JOHNSON, MICHIGAN, 2025
Johnson immediately lived up to the five-star billing that he had coming out of high school. As a true freshman in 2022, he posted a 91.1 PFF grade in man coverage that led all corners in the Power Five.
He followed that up by allowing just a 29.1 passer rating into his coverage as a sophomore, which was fifth among all cornerbacks in the country. On six targets against Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze this past season, Johnson allowed just three catches while also coming down with an interception.
He has all the physical traits you’d want in a corner at 6-foot-2, 202 pounds with excellent speed, footwork and ball skills for the position. If he was eligible to be selected in 2024, he’d be the first corner off the board. In fact, he would’ve been the first one taken in 2023 as well. Johnson has the makings of a special cornerback prospect who’ll likely be a top-five pick next April.
2. BENJAMIN MORRISON, NOTRE DAME, 2025
While Johnson’s first two seasons were special, Morrison’s weren’t too far behind. As a true freshman in 2022, he tied for the Power Five lead with six interceptions while his 29.2 passer rating allowed was third. In 2023, he was tied for eighth in that same group with 13 forced incompletions.
Morrison’s posted an 86.8 single-coverage grade since 2022, which paces all returning Power Five corners. On seven targets against Marvin Harrison Jr. over the last two years, he had more forced incompletions (three) than allowed catches (two). While there’s work to do as a tackler, Morrison has elite ball skills for the position. Both he and Johnson could be top-10 picks in 2025 and would likely be the first corners off the board this year if eligible.
3. KOOL-AID MCKINSTRY, ALABAMA, 2024
McKinstry is rarely brought up as the top cornerback in the 2024 class despite having the tape to back up that claim. He’s been named a first-team PFF All-American in each of the last two seasons. In that span, his 26 forced incompletions in single coverage are tied for the most among all cornerbacks in the nation.
While he’s only an above-average athlete, McKinstry’s shown the ability to be a lockdown corner with his intelligence and ability to thrive in man or zone coverage.
4. QUINYON MITCHELL, TOLEDO, 2024
Like McKinstry, Mitchell has been incredibly dominant over the past couple of years. He finished as the nation’s highest-graded cornerback in both 2022 and 2023 and has the most forced incompletions in that span (35).
Mitchell followed that up with the best pre-draft process of any prospect in the draft, dominating the Senior Bowl and testing as the most athletic corner in the draft at the combine. With that, he cemented himself as a first-round pick and potentially the first cornerback off the board.
5. COOPER DEJEAN, IOWA, 2024
The best way to describe DeJean is that he’s just a damn good football player. He excels as an outside corner, slot corner and is an outstanding run-defender in addition to his stellar coverage abilities. He’s the only cornerback in the country since 2022 with 90-plus PFF grades both in coverage and as a run-defender.
DeJean is about as NFL-ready as it gets and still has a high ceiling thanks to his natural athletic gifts.
WIDE RECEIVER
1. WR MARVIN HARRISON JR., OHIO STATE
Harrison comes from Hall of Fame bloodlines, and you can see that in his tape without even knowing his last name. He has a truly rare blend of size, speed, strength and football IQ for such a young player. He will be a WR1-caliber player the day he is drafted, and one in the mold of a Tier 1 NFL wideout.
2. WR MALIK NABERS, LSU
Nabers’ movement skills are rare, even at the NFL level. His ability to change direction yet continue to accelerate makes him an open-target specialist in the slot and on the outside. He has the kind of athleticism that demands a defense to know where he is at all times as a future WR1.
3. WR ROME ODUNZE, WASHINGTON
In an offense filled with future NFL players at the skill positions, Odunze was the best of the bunch. If he weren’t in a class with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers, we would be talking about him as an easy WR1 and a player worthy of a top-10 pick, although the latter is still true for 2024.
4. WR BRIAN THOMAS JR., LSU
Thomas offers a good combination of size and speed to push the ball vertically down the sideline, demanding safeties stay rotated to his side. To truly unlock that kind of threat, he will need to show he can consistently beat press coverage. Offenses that like to push the ball will prioritize what he brings to the table in the top 50.
5. WR ADONAI MITCHELL, TEXAS
Mitchell’s fluidity at his size makes him a tough matchup, especially in the red zone. The biggest area of concern I have with him is that I wish he attacked the ball more when it was in the air. If he improves in that category, he has fringe WR1/WR2 abilities.
Denver Sports Media 
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