Denver Broncos general manager John Elway has always found a way to be active during the draft. Last year saw him move up in the first round to select quarterback Paxton Lynch. The year prior, Denver moved up in the first to draft former Missouri pass rusher Shane Ray.
The theme here is obvious. Elway targets a specific player or an area of need and go gets his guy.
So when reports surfaced earlier on Thursday that the Broncos were looking to move up, it wasn’t necessarily a surprise. Though, this new information from Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole makes potential draft-day plans in Denver much more intriguing.
Among teams #Broncos have talked to about trading up are #Titans at No. 5. Might be too rich to go that high, but possible.
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) April 27, 2017
Moving up from 20 to five would cost the Broncos a major bounty. It would likely include a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
For their part, the Titans have reportedly been trying to move down in the first round and apparently have a trade already in the works should the board play out to their liking.
I believe the Titans already have a trade (back) in place and ready to go for this evening. I expect it to happen.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 27, 2017
Pure conjecture here, but this could be Denver’s way of picking up former Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey. The team is in need of more help on offense, and McCaffrey fits exactly what Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy looks for in a running back.
Other reports suggest that the Los Angeles Chargers at seven might be looking to add McCaffrey themselves. If so, the Broncos would have to jump their division rivals in order to land the dynamic running back.
This is among the intriguing stories to follow as the 2017 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday evening.