PALM BEACH, Fla. — Last April, the Broncos brass sat in their draft room and hoped. They hoped the 11 teams in front of them would do what Denver expected them to. After quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye went with the first three picks and the New York Giants took receiver Malik Nabers at No. 6, head coach Sean Payton said he almost wanted to call around to make sure other teams didn’t panic. The Broncos, picking at No. 12, knew they wanted Bo Nix. They thought that Minnesota at No. 11 wanted Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy and Las Vegas at No. 13 wanted Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. “Let’s get on a conference call with all of them and say, ‘None of us spend any money,’” Payton said with a laugh later that night while recalling the sequence. Hold your water, and everybody gets their quarterback. Except then came the curveball when Atlanta took Penix at No. 8. “It got a little crazy there for a minute,” Payton said. Minnesota felt the need to trade up one spot to ensure it got McCarthy. Denver, of course, got its guy at No. 12 anyway. As the Broncos gear up for the 2025 draft, they do so with Nix as their apparent long-term answer at the game’s most important position. That alone makes for a more comfortable offseason and a different set of stakes during April’s final weekend. Picking at No. 20, though, they are almost assuredly in for more of the same guessing game about who will ultimately be available when they pick and when they might address the biggest single need left on their roster: Running back. “Who’s going to be there? Do we have to move up? Maybe we move back,” general manager George Paton said Monday at the league’s spring ownership meetings. “All those scenarios come into play. “The challenges are always ahead, no matter what.” The Rubik’s cube No roster move happens in a vacuum. The Broncos set out to reinforce several positions of need earlier this spring in free agency and, for the most part, did so. That to-do list was based on roster need but also what the club thinks the draft class holds. Payton said he generally has found it’s difficult for a rookie to step in and start at inside linebacker. The Broncos landed Dre Greenlaw on a three-year deal over fierce competition from teams, including San Francisco. Denver needed more depth and playmaking at safety — not necessarily a 2025 draft strength. The club signed Talanoa Hufanga to a three-year deal. And the Broncos’ need for a playmaking tight end became so acute that they pursued a couple heavily in free agency, eventually snagging Evan Engram on a two-year deal, despite the fact that they’ll likely take advantage of a deep group in the draft, too. “When you’re kind of putting this (Rubrik’s) cube together, part of it is understanding what’s available in the draft,” Payton said. “What do the odds suggest? It’s deep at interior defensive line, for instance. Those things can affect maybe what you do in free agency. You’re looking to click the last click, have it all fit and get the most out of the players you sign or draft. “So it would be important to know, as we’re making free-agent decisions, where the draft is depth-wise at certain positions.” Most pressing need? The Broncos did damage in free agency, but they did not eliminate all of their needs. They have not yet added a running back — Payton called the free-agent crop “pretty lean” — and watched Javonte Williams sign a one-year deal with Dallas last month. They have four young players on the roster, but conventional wisdom suggests Denver is on the hunt for a major upgrade. Even Denver general manager George Paton brought the position up when asked Monday if he thought the strengths of the draft and Denver’s roster needs lined up well. “Everyone’s talking about the running backs, so that’s a good thing, right?” he said. “There are a lot of running backs. I think we just need to get depth everywhere. Obviously, we want to get a running back. There are other positions where we need to get stronger depth. “I do think the draft matches up to some of the places we have needs.” Paton, during his chat with reporters, was particularly resolute about adding a ball-carrier. “We’ll get a back in this draft,” he said. Of course, just because there are many options doesn’t mean they’re all created equal. The Broncos’ current running backs can each do some things. They’re looking for a player who can do everything. The elusive three-down back. “There’s not as many three-down backs, but it’s a good class,” Paton said. Payton indicated he’s seen “a handful” of players who might qualify. The question: Just how early does Denver have to strike to land one of them? North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton (28) is grabbed by Florida State defensive back Shyheim Brown (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley) NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently had Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (No. 3) and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton (No. 13) among his top overall players in the draft class, then three more ranked between Nos. 34 and 45. Long-time ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. recently said he had draftable grades on 31 running backs, but that Jeanty and Hampton are a clear-cut top duo. “There’s going to be running backs where you say, ‘Hey, I could get this guy in the third or fourth, fifth round,’” Kiper added. “… Opinions all over the place. But I do think the more elite backs are Jeanty and Hampton and then a bunch of guys grouped together in that second tier and then a third tier and a fourth tier. I do think Jeanty and Hampton are the only two that are special, potentially elite backs in the NFL.” Jeanty is a near lock to go early in the first round. He won’t be around at No. 20. But many think Hampton’s right in Denver’s range. Paton’s entering his fifth draft in the big chair and is well-versed in the smokescreen game that wafts around the league this time of year. So it was interesting when he said, “I think you can get a good back in the second round and all the way into the sixth round.” Conspicuously absent: Any mention of the first round. An honest read or subterfuge? Perhaps worth noting: The Broncos have only taken one first-round running back in the past 34 years (Knowshon Moreno in 2009). Sean Payton used two first-rounders on running backs in his New Orleans tenure, selecting Reggie Bush No. 2 overall in 2006 and Mark Ingram No. 28 in 2011. The waiting – and preparation – game The Broncos planned to ramp up draft meetings midweek, according to Paton. Those include all kinds of exercises. They’ll try to stack and sort positions into more clearly defined strata. They’ll put extra eyes on clusters of players graded closely together across positions. Then, as the draft gets closer, they’ll start working through what their people and their algorithms predict will happen on April 24 and, thus, who is likely to be available or not available when No. 20 rolls around. Who is worth trading up for? What might cause the Broncos to want to move back and look for extra picks? The way Paton and Payton spoke at the owners meetings, they feel they’re in a good position. Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, right, walks to a media availability during the 2025 NFL annual meetings, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Content Services for the NFL) They’re armed with their top three picks for the first time since 2021. The running back and tight end classes are deep. So, too, is interior defensive line. A good argument could be made that those are Denver’s top three needs. Related Articles “Typical Tory Horton”: CSU’s star receiver holds pro day outside despite snow Broncos Mailbag: Should Denver target Bo Nix’s adopted brother, Tez Johnson, in NFL draft? Broncos 2025 NFL mock draft tracker 7.0: What national experts predict Denver will do Mike Shanahan’s Hall of Fame chances? “I think it’s a matter of time,” son Kyle says. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on new Broncos ILB Dre Greenlaw, S Talanoa Hufanga: “It was tough losing those guys” The Broncos could arrive at No. 20 and have options at any of those three positions. They’d be perfectly justified in taking a tight end, despite adding Engram in free agency. They haven’t taken a true interior defensive lineman in the first round since Sylvester Williams in 2013. Perhaps Hampton or another back worthy of that lofty draft status will be sitting there atop Denver’s board. Or they could surprise and take a receiver, a cornerback or a unique defensive player like inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell or safety Nick Emmanwori. The Broncos will have quite a way to wait that Thursday night, but they’ve also built themselves some flexibility to chart their way through the opening rounds without being boxed into a corner. From there, it’s about the final clicks on the Rubik’s cube. “You always think about that, especially the first round,” Paton said. “There’s a guy there you really like, but you think it’s strong (position). Maybe you’ll get him in the second round, so we’ll go this (direction). I think it comes down to you always want to take the best player. The best player on your board. “Typically, you win in those scenarios.” Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis. ...read more read less