ESPN report: Broncos called Bears about a draft trade up

In the wake of the NFL Draft, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton joked about the possibility of trading up.

“I was actively involved in trying to pretend we were moving forward,” Payton said, laughing, a moment after general manager George Paton said the team briefly considered trading back to try and accumulate more draft capital while still picking Bo Nix.

Of course, the Broncos stood pat. But according to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, they called the Chicago Bears — who held the No. 9 pick — about a trade up. Which could very much qualify in Payton being “actively involved” in subterfuge regarding the Broncos’ actual intent.

Fowler said the Broncos were one of two teams who telephoned Chicago about the No. 9 overall pick. The Bears stood pat and chose Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, giving No. 1 overall choice Caleb Williams a prime rookie target. One selection later, the Minnesota Vikings traded up one slot with the New York Jets, taking Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

“It wasn’t clear at the time which player Denver was targeting in any potential trade up, or if it even had a target,” Fowler wrote in his report.

Chicago’s pick came one spot after Atlanta shook up the draft expectations of many by selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick.

“We were talking about a couple moves and then when Atlanta took Penix, now it was like, ‘Holy cow. Do we have to go up?’” Payton said during the draft.

Payton noted April 25 that discretion was key when it came to the Broncos’ intent,’

“When it comes to something this specific relative to the quarterback, you just don’t want others to know that this is their focal point,” Payton said. “Oftentimes, you hear this, ‘Well, if they don’t get one here, they can go back and get this one.’ I heard those same comments — when the Chiefs selected Patrick [Mahomes in 2017] and you go back and tune into everything, it was said, ‘Well, they could have got him later.’ No, they couldn’t have.

“… We all understand managing the draft, but let’s worry about what it’s going to look like three years from now. Three to four years from now, this class will be judged. Make sure we get the right guy there.”

And for the Broncos, that guy was Bo Nix.

QUARTERBACK WASN’T ALL THAT WAS ON THEIR ROUND 1 RADAR

Edge rusher was, too, according to Fowler’s report — specifically UCLA product Laiatu Latu. The Indianapolis Colts took Latu with the No. 15 overall choice, making him the first defensive player chosen after 14-straight offensive players to open the draft.

The Broncos were characterized as “comfortable” with Latu’s pre-draft medical examinations despite Latu undergoing neck-fusion surgery early in his college career, when he was at the University of Washington before transferring down I-5. Latu was “under firm consideration” for the Broncos if they passed on Nix, according to the repot.

Fowler’s report also characterizes the Broncos as being “extremely high” on South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler. The Broncos held a private workout and meeting with him in the weeks prior to the NFL Draft.

Atlanta was also keen on Rattler, according to the report. But when the Falcons and Broncos both selected quarterbacks in the first dozen choices, Rattler fell — all the way to Round 5, when New Orleans finally took him, making him the first quarterback off the board after the run of passers in picks 1-12.