Broncos 2023 NFL Draft picks determined

Today the NFL announced its compensatory selections for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Sixteen teams received extra selections, but the Denver Broncos were not one of them. The Broncos have only five picks heading into April’s draft festivities.

Two in the third round (67 and 68), one in the fourth round (108), one in the fifth round (139), and one in the sixth round (195). That’s about half of the amount of picks general manager George Paton said he likes to have entering each draft.

Alas, that’s what happens when you make bold moves for Russell Wilson and trade top-tier capital for a head coach.

Expect the Broncos to add more picks in this year’s draft. Whether it’s trading a veteran player or moving back with some of their selections, it’s highly unlikely the Broncos wind up with only five players selected.

“We’re always looking to add [picks],” general manager George Paton remarked at the NFL Combine. “It’s not always easy. It’s easier to do during the draft — to move back and you could acquire picks. We’ve done that here. We’ve done that at other places I’ve been.”

If I were a betting man, I’d wager the Broncos would trade back from one of their two back-to-back selections in the third round. By doing so, they could drop back deeper into the third round of this year’s draft, but still acquire extra Day 3 selections to help revamp the roster. That’s undoubtedly the best way to maximize their capital unless some team is interested in trading for one of their players.

With a long list of needs, the Broncos won’t be able to fill them all in the draft with only five picks. That’s just one reason why it’s expected by some for the franchise to be active in this year’s free agency period.

It’s a long ways to go until the Broncos are on the clock, but hopefully by then, they will have a few more darts to throw at their draft board to hit on a few players.