As a lead-up to the 2024 NFL draft, we’ve broken down the current depth chart of every NFL team and identified the biggest draft and team needs for the Denver Broncos.
You can find additional team-by-team draft needs articles and other draft content on our 2024 NFL Draft Hub.
Who Did the Denver Broncos Select in the 2024 NFL Draft?
The Denver Broncos selected Bo Nix (QB, Oregon) with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Broncos also drafted:
- Jonah Elliss (EDGE, Utah)
- Troy Franklin (WR, Oregon)
- Kris Abrams–Draine (CB, Missouri)
- Audric Estime (RB, Notre Dame)
- Devaughn Vele (WR, Utah)
- Nick Gargiulo (C, South Carolina)
Denver Broncos Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2024
- Quarterback
- Defensive Line
- Defensive Back
What Picks Do the Denver Broncos Have in 2024?
The Denver Broncos have 8 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, including:
- Round 1 (12)
- Round 3 (76)
- Round 4 (121)
- Round 5 (136)
- Round 5 (145)
- Round 5 (147)
- Round 6 (203)
- Round 6 (207)
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The preview is unlike anything you have ever seen, featuring stunning visualizations built with the reader in mind.
This preview shares insights into players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal in mind: to prepare you for the 2024 NFL season by delivering the smartest information in the fastest, most direct way possible.
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Denver Broncos Draft Capital Stats
Our Sharp Draft Value Rank is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.
This is based on two public models: performance delivered based on draft slot (the AV model created by Chase Stuart) and contractual earnings in non-rookie deals based upon draft slot (the OTC model created by Brad Spielberger and Jason Fitzgerald).
- Broncos Sharp Draft Value Rank: 21 of 32 teams
- Broncos AV Model Draft Value Rank: 19 of 32 teams
- Broncos OTC Model Draft Value Rank: 20 of 32 teams
Denver Broncos Draft Value vs. Other Teams:
The Broncos’ draft value is 8% lower than the league average of all 32 teams. 20 other teams have more draft value entering the 2024 NFL Draft.
Denver Broncos Draft Prediction:
Brendan Donahue has the Browns trading down to select Laiatu Latu (EDGE, UCLA) with the 18th overall pick in his most recent 2024 NFL Mock Draft.
Mock draft expert Ryan McCrystal believes the Broncos could target a pass rusher like Jared Verse (EDGE, Florida State) with their top pick at No. 12 overall in the first round.
Denver Broncos Strength of Schedule, 2024
The Denver Broncos have the eighth-hardest NFL strength of schedule for the 2024 NFL season.
Denver Broncos Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Denver Broncos, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Depth Chart, Broncos:
- Jarrett Stidham
- Zach Wilson
- Ben DiNucci
Releasing Russell Wilson at the opening of the new season, Denver has decided that just taking Wilson’s $39 million as sunk cost and re-setting the table was the optimal path in rebuilding this roster how Sean Payton wants it.
Unfortunately, Denver also won enough games last season to be in a predicament where they may not end up with a top quarterback from this draft class.
They also do not have a second-round pick in this draft due to adding Payton last season, so their options are limited to hoping J.J. McCarthy slides to No. 11 overall, reaching on QB5 in this class at No. 11, attempting to trade into a spot where they can land Bo Nix or Michael Penix at reasonable cost, or just punt a season and start with a clean slate in 2025.
The last of those options may be the preferred path to take.
Regardless of what road the team walks, right now they only have Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci on the roster.
Also, neither is under contract beyond this season.
Stidham started two games to end last season, going 1-1.
In those starts, Stidham completed just 60.6% of his passes with 7.5 Y/A and two touchdowns with an interception.
Stidham has now thrown 197 career passes, completing just 59.4% of them.
There have been 77 quarterbacks to throw as many passes as Stidham has since he entered the NFL, and that completion rate ranks 69th on that list.
If looking through rose-colored lenses, his 7.2 yards per pass attempt is 29th.
Running Back Depth Chart, Broncos:
- Javonte Williams
- Jaleel McLaughlin
- Samaje Perine
- Tyler Badie
- Michael Burton (FB)
Denver fielded an underwhelming rushing attack in 2023.
Their running backs combined to rush for 4.1 YPC (20th in the league) with a 34.0% success rate (24th).
Returning from a torn ACL, LCL, and PCL in 2022, Javonte Williams was not the same player last season that he was to open his career.
Williams averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per touch, turning 264 opportunities into 1,002 total yards and five touchdowns.
No running back with as many touches as Williams averaged fewer yards per opportunity.
The only running backs with 100 or more touches to average fewer yards per touch were Miles Sanders, Kareem Hunt, Dameon Pierce, and Jamaal Williams.
Out of 49 running backs with 100 or more rushes, Williams ranked:
- 25th in the rate of runs to gain 10 or more yards (9.7%)
- 37th in yards after contact per rush (2.71)
- 40th in EPA per rush (-0.17)
- 41st in yards per carry (3.6 YPC)
- 43rd in yards before contact per rush (0.86)
- 44th in success rate (30.0%)
A tackle-breaking machine exiting college and early in the pros, the 2.71 yards after contact per rush was the lowest rate of his early-career sample.
After forcing a missed tackle on 31.6% of his rushing attempts before injury, Williams only forced a missed tackle on 15.7% of his rushes last season.
Williams will only turn 24 years old this April and will be a full year-plus removed from his injury, but also enters this season in the final year of his rookie contract.
Jaleel McLaughlin was a nice find for Denver last season as an undrafted free agent.
McLaughlin averaged 5.3 yards per touch, turning 107 touches into 570 yards and three touchdowns.
He led the team with a 40.8% success rate as a runner, which also ranked 17th among all running backs with 50 or more rushes.
His 15.8% rate of runs for 10 or more yards was fifth on that same list.
McLaughlin had the efficiency-boosting aid of not having to take on a lot of gritty work as a rookie, but his 2023 season looks similar to what we saw from Jaylen Warren from Pittsburgh as a rookie.
He can occupy that type of role in this offense, serving in a Pierre Thomas-esque fashion in Payton’s system.
McLaughlin is the only Denver running back under contract after this season.
Payton loves to deploy multiple running backs and Samaje Perine is still in the fold for another season.
Perine turned 103 touches into 693 yards and a touchdown last season.
50 of those touches were receptions, which was 14th at his position.
Perine played 133 third down snaps while Williams played 47 and McLaughlin played 23.
Outside of a late-round addition, this is not an area of immediate need.
Even with McLaughlin as the only running back currently signed for 2025, Denver has the bodies to get through this season and evaluate what they want to do moving forward.
Wide Receiver Depth Chart, Broncos:
- Courtland Sutton
- Tim Patrick
- Josh Reynolds
- Marvin Mims
- Lil’Jordan Humphrey
- Brandon Johnson
- David Sills
- Phillip Dorsett
- Jalen Virgil
- Michael Bandy
Denver wide receivers combined for 167 receptions (27th) for 2,353 yards (22nd) in 2023.
They did collect 20 touchdowns (tied for fourth).
They also averaged a collective 1.99 yards per route run, which was fourth in the NFL.
Denver wideouts lived on the long ball in 2023.
Their 23.3% target rate on throws 20 or more yards downfield was second in the NFL while their 21.8% deep route rate was also second.
Courtland Sutton took the most advantage of the situation, leading the team in receptions (59), yards (772), and catching a career-high 10 touchdowns.
Sutton did the bulk of his damage against man coverage.
When 1-on-1, Sutton was targeted on 24.3% of his routes while averaging 2.37 yards per route run.
Against zone coverage, Sutton was only targeted 17.6% of his routes with 1.47 yards per route run.
Sutton still has two years left on his current contract, giving Denver open options.
They can retain Sutton as a bridge while adding younger wide receivers here, or they can trade him for future assets as he would save the team $7.8 million and $14 million if traded (or released) over the next two years.
The team was hoping that one of their younger assets to make a splash would be Marvin Mims, who they traded up to select in the second round a year ago.
Mims ended his rookie season with massively uneven production, catching 22 passes for 377 yards and a touchdown.
Mims only had 135 of those yards over his final 12 games of the season.
Even though Mims shared playing time with both Brandon Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey last season, Payton was vocal about how hard it was getting Mims on the field at the same time as Jerry Jeudy.
Now, with Jeudy traded away, Mims should have a larger runway in 2024.
We know Mims can be explosive. He just needs to round out the rest of his game to show that is not the only spade he has.
He averaged 19.5 yards per catch for his collegiate career.
Even as a rookie with limited production and opportunity, Mims averaged 17.1 yards per catch.
The team also added Josh Reynolds in free agency while retaining Tim Patrick.
Reynolds is coming off 608 yards with Detroit last season, his most yards in a season since 2015.
His five touchdowns matched a career-high.
Patrick has been snakebit, missing all of the past two seasons with injuries. He will turn 31 this season.
Like running back, Denver has enough bodies to get through this season at the position.
That said, they do not have a defined front-end player at the position, while only Sutton, Mims, and Reynolds are signed beyond this season.
Big picture, this team still needs more talent here.
Pre Order the Best Analytical 2024 Football Preview
Don’t miss out on Warren Sharp’s 500+ page preview of the 2024 NFL season.
The preview is unlike anything you have ever seen, featuring stunning visualizations built with the reader in mind.
This preview shares insights into players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal in mind: to prepare you for the 2024 NFL season by delivering the smartest information in the fastest, most direct way possible.
