2023 NFL Draft Weekend Grades: Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos may not have had a pick until the Third Round coming into the Draft, but that did not stop them from having an eventful three days. They stayed quiet the first night, and then it got interesting.

They made a trade to get into the end of the second round and then made another trade to get a second third-rounder. Following the Sean Payton method of the Draft, day two trading up to get the guy he wants.

Day three was a much more Geroge Paton style of drafting. He took a late-round pick and turned it into a later pick and a player from the Saints. It was hard to imagine what the Broncos’ Draft philosophy was going to look like with two different styles, but they managed to incorporate both visions and got a lot of value at the end of it all.

2023 NFL Draft Weekend Grades: Denver Broncos:

Denver Received: Pick No. 63, Pick No. 183

Detroit Receive: Pick No. 68, Pick No.139

Grade: B

Denver got what they were looking for with this trade. They moved up five picks to get into the end of the second round and did not have to give up a lot to do it. Both teams got out of the Trade with two picks, and the Broncos got the Wide Receiver they were looking for.

The only reason this trade got a B from me, even though it sounds like the Broncos got good value from it, was due to two factors. First, They moved out of a whole round going from Pick 139 to Pick 183. It seems like a lot to move up only five picks. The Second is the player they traded up for. Marvin Mims Jr. is a really good player that fits a need the Broncos needed at the WR position. The only problem is with talented WRs like Jalen Hyatt and Josh Downs still available at that point, Mims probably would have been available at Pick 68.

At the end of the day, though, you cannot fault Denver for getting a talented playmaker that fits a need they have. They still got out of it with two picks as well, so they did not lose out on a whole lot of value with this trade.

 

Denver Receives: Pick No. 83

Seattle Receives: Pick No. 108, 2024 Third Round

Grade: D+

This is my least favorite thing the Broncos did the whole Draft. The only reason this did not get a D- or an F is that I cannot fault Denver for being aggressive and getting a guy they really wanted.

It still gets a D+ because even though they got a guy they really wanted, it seems like they chose a guy before some more talented players at that position. The worst part of this trade was the package they gave up. It is hard to justify giving up a fourth-round pick in the current draft and a third in the next draft to move up only 23 spots.

The part of this that makes it hard to justify the pick when the player may not be a huge contributor right away as well. However, they got one of the more athletic and experienced Defensive Backs in the Draft. With experience at both Safety and Corner Back, he provides a lot of versatility, which new Broncos Defensive Coordinator Vance Joeseph loves to have available.

 

Denver Receives: TE Adam Trautman, Pick No. 257

New Orleans Receives: Pick No. 195

Grade: A-

I love this trade for Denver. To get a veteran player that is familiar with Sean Payton’s offense and has 28 starts in three seasons, on top of a late-round pick in the draft for just a sixth-round pick, is great value.

Trautman being only 26 years old with three seasons under his belt as a backup, is a really solid pickup. The former third-round pick has the talent and tools to produce, and even though he could not produce as a starter the way New Orleans wanted, he can be a good option for this offense behind Dulcich.

They also got another pick in this draft which they used to get another solid player later, which gave Denver so much value. Overall, I believe that this is one of Denver’s best moves of the entire draft, even if it was not an insane trade.

 

Draft Pick Grades:

Pick 63: Wide Receiver Marvin Mims Jr., Oklahoma

Grade: B

This is a more middle-of-the-road pick for me, and it has nothing really to do with the player himself. I was not a huge fan, as I mentioned in the trade grade of how the Broncos acquired him, and I believe that the Broncos could have gotten a better player at that spot.

However, the Broncos did get themselves one heck of a playmaker. One of the fastest WRs in the entire class and will hopefully provide the threat that K.J. Hamler was meant to provide as a legit deep threat.

He does join a crowded WR unit with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and Marquez Callaway already on the roster, but with his size and speed, he is a much different type of WR than the other four.

Coming off a 1,082-yard season with six touchdowns, he provided Oklahoma with the ability to stretch the field. He had the fifth most Deep Yards, according to PFF in College Football, with 602 last season, and was top 20 in Deep Catches and Average Depth of Target. While he may be low on the depth chart for now, his unique speed may find him on the field quicker than people expect.

It is still hard to justify this pick being higher than a B though, until he produces on the field. With Hyatt, a similarly speedy guy at a better size, and Downs, a more complete WR, still there, and the Broncos trading up to get him, there is a lot for Mims to prove right away.

 

Pick 67: Inside Linebacker Drew Sander, Arkansas

Grade: B+

I really like the player, and I love the value for him, but it was an odd pick at the time. Inside Linebacker was not exactly a huge need for Denver, and with some of the best Defensive Backs still available, it was interesting they went with Sanders.

That is until I did more research on the player and found he is a beast. Standing at 6’5” and 234 lbs., he is a monster of a Linebacker. He was also one of the nation’s best at getting to the QB for his position. With 11 Sacks and 39 pressures in his last season of college, he will be a handful for Offensive Lines when he comes on blitzes.

The one concern with him is he is new to the position. A natural EDGE Rusher, he moved to ILB this last season and struggled in certain aspects. He had 22 missed tackles and struggled to identify the targets in Zone Coverage. Fortunately for him, he will be learning from two of the best tacklers in the entire league with Jewell and Singleton, so he should be able to pick that up pretty quickly.

Bottom line is the Broncos got a guy most saw going late first round or early second round all the way in the early third round. That is crazy good value, and with Jewell only having one more year left on his deal it makes for a great chance for him to step in if Jewell walks next offseason.

 

Pick 83: Corner Back/Safety Riley Moss, Iowa

Grade: C+

This grade seems really harsh, but it is mostly based on how we got him, which I covered in the trade grade. It was a lot to get a guy that may not be ready to play meaningful snaps right away. With other more proven CBs available as well, it is hard to love this pick right away.

The player himself, though is very impressive. Moss played five years at Iowa playing several positions in the Secondary. The Broncos are adamant that he is going to be a CB, though, and he fits in very nicely with Patrick Surtain II and Damarri Mathis. At 6’1” and just under 200 pounds, he brings great size to the position.

He is also one of the most athletic DBs in this class. With a 4.45 second 40-yard Dash and a 6.6 second 3-cone Drill, both among the best of the CBs, it is clear that athleticism is not a worry. On the field, he also excels as a playmaker in Zone Coverage, which is needed when both Surtain and Mathis excel in Man Coverage.

If Moss can develop quickly, and the athleticism translates on the field. His versatility could make this grade look downright stupid. However, I have to grade based on what I have at my disposal, and I just thought it was too much to get a guy when other guys were still available.

 

Pick 183: Safety JL Skinner, Boise State

Grade: A+

Skinner is my favorite move of the entire night for Denver. They got a guy that had second or third-round projections all the way in the sixth round. At 6’4” in the Safety position, the dude is a flat-out beast of a man. He plays like a Linebacker but with the coverage ability of a Safety.

With 58 defensive stops in the last two seasons, he earned a coverage grade of 83.3 in 2022 from PFF. He also provides a lot of versatility and gives Denver one of the league’s most diverse Safety groups. With Justin Simmons as one of the league’s best Single High Safeties, as of right now, Caden Sterns, who is a versatile guy that the teams love to use in blitz packages but can also play zone coverage very well, and now the mountain of a safety, the Broncos secondary got a lot more interesting.

It will be interesting to see how Denver uses him early in his career, but he has all of the tools to be used as a box safety early. That way, he can be an extra DB on TEs and RBs, but he is not a liability in the run game. Skinner could prove to be one of the steals of the drafts if he can recover from his torn pectoral soon.

 

Pick 257: Interior Offensive Lineman Alex Forsyth, Oregon

Grade: A

Drafting a player at 257 may not get A grades for many people, but getting Forsyth here does. One of the themes of the offseasons was not only improving the O-line but making it just physically bigger as well. Well, at 6’4” and 303 lbs. Forsyth certainly fits.

He also is one of the more experienced guys in this draft, being a four-year starter. He also earned Pac-12 First Team honors this last year, and many current and former NFL Offensive Linemen have come out and said he is one of the smartest and toughest guys they’ve seen—pretty great endorsements for a seventh-rounder.

It also does not hurt that he did not allow a single sack or hit last season and only allowed one hurry all year. Primarily a Center, expect him to compete with Lloyd Cushenberry and Kyle Fuller for the starting Center position, and do not be surprised if he wins it. At the very least, he gives Denver a solid backup option at that position.

 

Overall Draft Week Grade: B+

I think the Broncos did one of the best jobs at finding value in this draft. Especially with the picks of Sanders, Skinner, and Forsyth, they got a lot of players that could contribute right away.

Even though I may not have loved everything Denver did, I loved that they showed aggression and went after guys they wanted instead of hoping someone they liked fell to them like they have in the past. If this class pans out, it could be one of the more successful draft weeks in recent history for Denver, despite not having a first-round pick.