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With the 2026 NFL Draft only one day away, many organizations are looking to finalize their draft plan. The chaos of draft does not just include wild first-round picks, but lots of draft day trades.
The Denver Broncos are one of six teams who do not have a first-round draft pick, due to their blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. When asked at the pre-draft press conference on April 16 about draft day trades, general manager George Paton made it clear that they have “flexibility”.
“We still have the flexibility with the seven picks, to move up or back and get more picks,” Paton stated.
However, trading into the first-round seems less likely, according to Paton, “You never say never, but it’s unlikely. It would cost quite a haul, for us to get up there… but we certainly could move up in the second.”
With the possibility of a draft day trade looming, which Broncos players are on the chopping block? Paton mentions that a trade would cost “quite a haul”, insinuating that a big name Bronco or two could find themselves on a new team by the end of the week.
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After a big upgrade to the Broncos’ wide receiver room in the offseason, it’s beginning to look a little crowded. With a depth chart including Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Mavin Mims Jr., and Pat Bryant it’s hard to imagine that all of these guys will remain in Denver before the start of 2026.
General manager George Paton has stated that trading one of these guys is unlikely, however, nothing is ever really off the table when it comes to trades.
In an article by Scotty Payne on Yahoo Sports, he names four trade candidates ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. Two of them being Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin:
“Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant are in play for the WR3 role, with one player likely losing a high percentage of snaps,” Payne said. “Pat Bryant is a bigger, sure-handed wide receiver who excels at blocking and flashed some real potential as a rookie.”
Payne explains that the wide receiver room is deep and if anyone is going to see a huge impact on snap shares, it’s Franklin. Whereas, Mims is an All-Pro returner that is quarterback Bo Nix’s go-to guy when it comes to making a big play downfield.
Marvin Mims is approaching the final year in his contract and the Broncos are unlikely to sign him in the following season, so it leaves a window of opportunity to deal Mims away for another draft pick.
Payne also notes that the Broncos have many former coaches scattered around the league making specifically Franklin a viable candidate to bring on their new team.
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On the defensive side of things, Payne mentions the possibility of trading key starters in the Broncos’ secondary, Riley Moss and Ja’Quan Millian. Trade talk involving Moss has been swirling for quite sometime now, so it’s not a surprise that he is one of the biggest candidates on draft day.
“Both Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian are starters and key members of the Denver Broncos ‘ top-ranked defense, but they’re both entering the final years of their deals,” Payne stated. “With All-Pro corner Pat Surtain II locked up, the Broncos are likely to re-sign only one of these players (they also have a big-money Bo Nix extension looming), with the other likely playing elsewhere next season.”
It may seem as if the Broncos’ defense would take a hit with either cornerback’s departure, the 2026 cornerback draft class is stacked, so it’s likely the Broncos would be able to find their young replacement following the trade.
In an article by Erick Trickel of Sports Illustrated, he lists Riley Moss as an “NFL draft day trade that could change the Broncos overnight”.
“Moss is a talented No. 2 cornerback, and there are a lot of teams that lack a legitimate top corner, where he could step in and be that guy for them,” Trickel said. “After the Los Angeles Rams traded a first-rounder for Trent McDuffie, the Broncos could be in a position to get a bigger return for Moss than you might think.”
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The 2026 quarterback draft class is listed as one of the weakest in recent years. With Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza projected to go no. 1 overall, the next quarterback up is Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who is typically projected as a second-round pick.
Obviously, the Broncos have–who they hope–is their next franchise quarterback for years to come, Bo Nix, but they also have a hidden gem in backup, Jarrett Stidham.
Stidham started his first game in the 2025 NFL season, during the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots after Bo Nix went down with an ankle injury.
While the Broncos fell just short of a Super Bowl trip, Stidhamn showed immense potential as a starter. With lots of quarterback buzz in the offseason, Stidham might be just what teams are looking for in 2026.
“This quarterback draft class is not great, and teams could be searching for either competition for their starting quarterback or looking for a high-end backup quarterback,” Payne said in his article regarding teams looking for a quarterback on draft day. “If that’s the case, teams could call the Broncos about Jarrett Stidham.”
“Typically, contending teams like the Broncos are not keen on trading away their backup, but they are very high on third-stringer Sam Ehlinger,” Payne stated. “If a team offers a decent haul for Stidham, I could see the Broncos pulling the trigger. They have also been doing some work on quarterbacks throughout the draft, so I wouldn’t totally rule it out.”
Teams have reached out about Jarrett Stidham before, so why wouldn’t they do it again on a day where anything is on the table?
McKenna Van Gundy McKenna Van Gundy is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. She spent two years as a sports contributor for her University's newspaper, covering games and writing feature stories on players and coaches. She currently works for the NFL as a digital programming associate and lives in the greater Los Angeles area. More about McKenna Van Gundy
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