Sources have told Woody Paige that the Broncos will trade up to 8th or 10th overall and select WR Jerry Jeudy

The Gazette’s Woody Paige was asked on Twitter what his final thoughts were about what the Broncos do in the first-round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He replied by saying that his sources have told him that the Broncos could trade up to 8th or 10th overall and select Alabama wide receiver, Jerry Jeudy.

He did caution that it could go either way before stating his final prediction, but there is a ton of smoke about the Broncos trading up for a receiver so it makes a ton of sense.

Now, this prediction/sourced prediction is noteworthy because Woody was the first media member I saw last year mention that the Broncos were looking to trade back and were eyeing tight end, Noah Fant. Well, that exact scenario played out so Woody clearly has some good sources within the Broncos and likely a good idea on what they’re thinking as they head into Thursday night’s first-round. So Woody’s prediction holds a ton of weight with me. I believe he also may have called Dalton Risner in the second-round as well but I do not remember correctly.

Jerry Jeudy’s Alabama teammate and fellow wide receiver Henry Ruggs III has long been the rumored favorite of the Broncos dating back to the start of this entire draft process. So seeing them go Jeudy over Ruggs III after months of speculation about Ruggs would be a surprise. However, I would rank Jeudy as my top receiver in the draft so I certainly would be okay with this move.

NFL Network’s lead draft analyst has Jeudy as his 11th best prospect in the entire draft and ranked as his second-best wide receiver in the draft.

Jeudy is an elite route runner with outstanding burst, body control and awareness. He explodes off the line and uses his quickness to avoid press coverage. His snap at the top of the route is as good as any prospect in the last decade. He has the ability to make plays outside of his frame, but he will have some concentration lapses, which lead to drops. After the catch, he is very slippery and elusive, although he isn’t going to break a lot of tackles. Overall, Jeudy is a loose athlete with elite route skills and he should emerge as a high-volume production guy very early in his career.

Jeudy would give the Broncos everything they are looking for in a complement to Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton and 2019 first-round pick, tight end, Noah Fant. He can serve as the deep threat/speed threat that they are desperately looking for. He can play in the slot and excel there while also being just as dangerous on the outside. He is dangerous in space and in the quick passing game. Plus, his insane body control makes him an even bigger threat down the field. He would be a perfect fit in Pat Shurmur’s offense and a fun new toy for quarterback, Drew Lock.

We shall see how Woody’s prediction plays out this year in what figures to be a highly unpredictable draft, but it makes a ton of sense. Broncos are getting a wide receiver in the first round in all likelihood and the rumors of them looking to trade up continue to be spread. While it may not be for the speedster in Ruggs, trading for Jeudy would be a very solid move by General Manager John Elway and the Broncos.