Future Broncos: Reassessing Denver’s draft needs at the halfway mark

The Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens matchup on Sunday should be one of the best of the week.

Sitting at 5-3, Denver is poised to forge themselves into playoff contenders with a win. However, a loss could throw a significant wrench in those aspirations. Especially considering the tough schedule the rest of the way out.

A of now, the Broncos would currently have the 22nd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft . A loss to the Ravens would put them in Top 15 territory. With this game marking Denver's halfway point of the season, I thought it would be apt to reassess their needs. But before getting into positional specifics, delving into Head Coach Sean Payton's draft history with the New Orleans Saints should be considered—specifically the first round.

Payton's Draft History — Early Selection Themes One major theme appears to ring true with Payton early on in the NFL Draft: he values physicality. Matching the perceived physicality of Ravens was a theme that dominated the pressers leading up to leading up to Sunday's game.

What's one way to upgrade that on your time? Drafting in the trenches. Finding players doing the dirty work was an emphasis for the Saints early on in the NFL Draft and in his time with the Broncos, the team spent big upgrading their offensive line.

In the draft , eight of the Saints' first-round picks with Payton coaching were either adding players to the offensive line or defensive front seven. Next in line would be the secondary, which received an allocation of three top selections during his tenure with the Saints. Fans pining for an offensive skill position player (including myself) might not like his history there.

Though he did draft two running backs and receivers—Mark Ingram, Reggie Bush, Robert Meachem, and Brandin Cooks in the first round. Yet it's important past history and trends with a different franchise might not mean much with the Broncos with respect to draft endeavors.

More buddies for Bo Nix As the young Broncos continues to develop, providing him with more friends on the offensive side of the ball seems like a good bet. It was my major takeaway at the beginning of October and in my first mock draft . I'm still fine with this being a first-round priority for the team, but how the board falls will be important.

After some of the mistakes in their win last weekend, Payton spoke about whether or not the team was good enough around him. I believe the Broncos possess an intriguing set of skill position players, but no clear-cut top-flight option at any position.

Adding one of this year's best receivers or perhaps even a prospect like Ashton Jeanty who is an elite player at running back would give the Broncos the spark they need offensively. It's worth mentioning that this week Payton talked about how the team needed to run the ball a lot more effectively in order for Nix and the offense to be at their best.

Something worth monitoring as the second half of the season rolls on.

Loading up in the trenches It's uncertain whether or not Garett Bolles will receive another contract extension, but he has certainly been playing well this season. Payton's had his hand in drafted a few first-round offensive tackles, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them go this route. The needle would move further in this direction if Bolles wasn't extended.

While I've been impressed with the Broncos' defensive line and edge player performance to date, I still think this is an area they could and should focus on. Here's why. Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning are both free agents and players that have been rumored as potential trade candidates before the deadline.

On the defensive line, the Broncos don't really have many rookie contract players or what I'd consider young players with top-notch starting ability. This is an area that needs to get better for the long term. Considering D.J. Jones is in his final year; the Broncos could be in the market for a new defensive tackle. Moreover, they will likely end up picking in an area where plenty of those options are available.