Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested multiple times in the days leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft that the Denver Broncos could make a trade to move up the draft order from the 20th overall pick so the club can select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with a top-10 selection.
For a piece published on Wednesday, Broncos reporter Nick Kosmider of The Athletic shared why he isn’t buying the Denver-Jeanty chatter.
“The cost is the part that doesn’t compute,” Kosmider explained. “…It would probably start with No. 20, at least one of the Broncos’ Day 2 picks in this draft (No. 51 and 85) and a first-round pick in 2026, depending on how far Denver was trying to climb.”
That last part is significant, as ESPN’s Peter Schrager and Todd McShay of The Ringer both think the Jacksonville Jaguars will make Jeanty the draft’s fifth pick. Thus, Denver may have to match the New England Patriots’ asking price for the fourth selection to get the consensus best running back in this year’s class.
While NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein
has Jeanty ranked as the draft’s highest-graded overall prospect, The Athletic’s Austin Mock is among those who have pointed out that history shows teams should use top-five picks to strengthen premium positions other than running back. That said, the 2024 Broncos earned a playoff berth with rookie quarterback Bo Nix leading their offense. Thus, it’s understandable that Denver head coach Sean Payton may believe Jeanty could help his club do more than simply participate in the next postseason tournament.
“There is no more injury-prone position in the NFL than running back,” Kosmider added, “which is one of the reasons teams don’t often draft them in the top 10 (only two such selections since 2018) and even more rarely trade into that position to acquire one. If Jeanty falls further than expected — it’s hard to imagine him getting past the Chicago Bears at No. 10 as things stand now — then a modest move could make sense (for Denver).”
Schrager thinks the Broncos will stay at pick No. 20 and select Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. Meanwhile, McShay believes Denver will make Michigan tight end Colston Loveland the draft’s 20th selection.
