Denver Broncos: Post-Senior Bowl 7-round 2021 mock draft
The Denver Broncos are entering year three with Vic Fangio at the helm as head coach, but year one with George Paton as the team’s general manager.
Paton takes over for John Elway, who built the Denver Broncos’ roster for 10 years with plenty of mixed results. Paton has been highly selective over the past decade, turning down plenty of job opportunities around the league before taking the Broncos’ opening.
He called the Broncos a “sleeping giant” in a lot of ways and obviously thinks highly of the organization to leave his job as Rick Spielman’s right-hand man. So how does he get this Denver Broncos team back into contention in the tough AFC West?
Paton alluded to his preference of building and developing through the draft, accumulating picks like darts to throw so he has a better chance of hitting a bullseye. That is the approach we took with this Denver Broncos mock draft scenario, trading down to accumulate picks using the Pro Football Network simulator.
When all was said and done with multiple trades down in the first round, here is the seven-round pick haul we ended up with.
Denver Broncos 2021 mock draft
The Denver Broncos have one of the league’s best offensive line coaches in Mike Munchak and now is the time to get Munchak a right tackle for the future to mold.
The Broncos brought in Ja’Wuan James in 2019 free agency, but he missed most of that season due to injury and he opted out of the 2020 season completely because of COVID-19.
James hasn’t played a stretch of meaningful football since he was with the Miami Dolphins in 2018, and even though the Denver Broncos are stuck with him contractually in 2021, they should undoubtedly be looking to draft his replacement in the first two or three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jalen Mayfield is an option for the Broncos in the first round in a trade-down scenario as mentioned in the introduction, and he would be an excellent selection for them in the mid-late portion of the first round.
Mayfield is young (he will be 20 when he’s drafted) but he’s a former four-star prospect whose development in three seasons at Michigan has been very good.
He’s played a bit of left tackle, but Mayfield has primarily been a right tackle for the Wolverines and even for his age, he’s able to bully defenders with his powerful hands and brute strength.
Add in his athleticism and quick feet, and you have the makings of a true long-term stud at the right tackle position.
The Broncos cannot rely on James to stay healthy even for just the 2021 season. Even if he’s penciled in as the starter, a player like Mayfield is a wise investment for the future of the team.