Denver Broncos 7-Round Mock Draft 2023

The Denver Broncos will enter the Draft in a little over a week with no picks in the first two rounds. Thanks to the trades for Russell Wilson and Sean Payton, they are very low on draft capital.

Despite that, GM George Paton has shown the ability to find quality players in the middle rounds, and Sean Payton has been known to be aggressive when it comes to trading up. It will be interesting to see what the plan is, but without trades, below will be an updated Denver Broncos 7-Round Mock Draft 2023 for Defiant Takes.

 

Denver Broncos 7-Round Mock Draft 2023:

3^rd Round Pick 67^th: CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia

3^rd Round Pick 68^th: WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee

4^th Round Pick 108^th: EDGE Byron Young, Tennessee

5^th Round Pick 139^th: RB Zach Evans, Ole Miss

6^th Round Pick 195^th: TE Josh Whyle, Cincinnati

 

CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia

If you go back and read my article on the top needs the Broncos could fill before the Draft, Corner Back was my number one need. Even if they do fill that spot with a veteran, Ringo would be a no-brainer if he falls into this spot.

Arguably one of the best athletes in this Draft, Ringo is 6 foot 2 inches tall and 207 pounds. He also hit an approximate 23.5 Miles Per Hour in a pre-draft workout. The reason he isn’t a surefire 1^st round pick may be because he is extremely raw and relies too much on his reaction, and does not do a good job with anticipation.

He gave up the second most 15-plus yard catches among SEC Corners with 13 and allowed 41 catches on 77 targets. Kelee may be a year or two away from being a consistent contributor, and the Broncos could set themselves up to not need him for that time. With him learning behind Pat Surtain II and a DC in Joeseph that works well with young CBs, it could be a perfect landing spot for him.

 

WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee

Wide Receiver is not a position of immediate need for Denver with Jeudy, Sutton, Patrick, and Hamler on the roster. However, this WR unit has severely underperformed and cannot find a way to stay on the field together.

Hyatt, like Ringo, might also be a talent too good to pass up if he falls this far. He made a huge leap in production with more than 1,000 yards over his past seasons’ productions. He also only had four TDs going into the season and finished last season with 15.

He is a pure speed guy and catches everything thrown his way, but he has only one real route in his bag and does not have great after-the-catch ability despite his speed. Drafting him is a project, but he could find a role as a deep threat early in his career.

 

EDGE Byron Young, Tennessee

This one is an obvious pick for Denver; the only problem is he may have to be taken in an earlier round for him to be a Broncos. The Broncos held him for a top-30 visit. That does mean the team is interested, but falling to the fourth round may not be realistic.

Young is coming off a massive year in production with nine sacks and 22 hurries. The team has three Edge Rushers they like in Gregory, Browning, and Bonito. They do not have great depth, though, and Young could be a player the team views as a starting-level player on the bench.

 

RB Zach Evans, Ole Miss

Evans is a player that was at one point a top recruit in the country. He unfortunately never earned a starting role at TCU, leading him to transfer to Ole Miss, where he got more snaps, but was not a consistent starter still.

That could be nice in a late-round flyer at RB, considering he was not heavily used in college, so he could have pretty fresh legs coming into the NFL. The Broncos may need a RB in some role until Williams is back and healthy, getting a late-rounder who averaged 6.5 yards per carry or more all three seasons of his college career.

 

TE Josh Whyle, Cincinnati

This is a pick that may not wow anyone, but it could be a bigger pick than people realize. The team likes Greg Dulcich as a starter, and they signed Manhertz to be a blocking TE, but after them, they don’t have a great option at TE. Albert Okwuegbunam has not been able to stay healthy or produce consistently.

Whyle has been a very consistent player in his three years, having over 300 yards every year. He does not do anything super special, but he has been graded very well in both receiving and blocking grades. He may not be a future starter, but a cheap, solid backup TE for four seasons is not a bad option in the sixth round.