Broncos make ill-advised trade in latest mock draft

In his latest seven-round mock draft, ESPN's Matt Miller has the Denver Broncos trading the 12th overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals to move up to the fourth slot and select Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.

"I think it would take something in the realm of pick No. 12, a 2025 first-rounder, and a 2026 first-rounder," wrote Miller. "The deal is molded like the deal the 49ers made in 2021 to move up for Trey Lance, and yes, it's an expensive trade package. But if Broncos head coach Sean Payton lands his quarterback, no one will care much about the cost to move up to get him."

The Broncos need another quarterback, but they should avoid unloading too much draft capital to land one.

At the annual league meeting in Orlando on Monday, Payton indicated the team is mulling moving up in the draft. He added he recently held a private workout with national champion McCarthy.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated predicted Jarrett Stidham will be the Broncos' starting QB next season. This shouldn't inspire confidence in Denver fans, as he went 1-1 in two starts in 2023, posting a below-average 31.1 QBR. 

However, giving up multiple first-rounders would hamper the club's ability to stockpile talent and build around a young passer.

The Broncos should know this after they dealt three first-rounders (and more) for QB Russell Wilson and Payton in 2022 and 2023, respectively. 

Over the past two seasons, Denver went 13-21, failing to end an eight-year playoff drought.

McCarthy, 21, may not be a generational talent, either.

"McCarthy should continue to improve as a passer, but he fails to stand out in many of the areas that tend to be predictive of top-level success in the NFL," wrote NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.

Denver should keep its picks and revamp its roster instead of pinning its future on McCarthy. With the 12th pick, the Broncos could still take a QB, perhaps Oregon's Bo Nix, a 2023 Heisman finalist.