The Denver Broncos paid a steep price when they traded up in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft to select Iowa cornerback Riley Moss.
In order to acquire pick No. 83 from the Seattle Seahawks, the Broncos agreed to trade pick No. 107 this year plus a third-round pick in 2024.
After the draft, Denver general manager George Paton asked why the team was willing to give up so much to land Moss.
“It’s our second third,” Paton said of the team’s 2024 pick that was traded. “We have two thirds [in 2024], so that made it a little easier. We just felt this player — he was one of those target players. We didn’t have many picks this year. We have five. Obviously, we want quality, and we feel like he’s a quality player and he’s going to help us. You don’t love giving picks up in the future, but we had two in the third.
“I think we all feel really good about it and feel great about it … We had him in here on a visit. We loved the makeup. He aced the offseason, the Senior Bowl and the combine, and then we brought him in on a visit. The coaches met with him. They Zoomed, and we spent a lot of time with this player. We feel really good about the trade.”
Moss joins Denver’s secondary after running a 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds at the combine earlier this offseason. That kind of speed should be a great addition to the Broncos’ cornerback depth chart, and if the team does well this season, the third-round pick they sent to Seattle will be near the bottom of the round.
“Now it’s our job to have won a bunch of games and make sure it’s deeper into the third round, as opposed to earlier in the third round,” coach Sean Payton said.
Regardless of whether it’s a high third-round pick or a late third-round pick, Moss will have to perform well for the trade to be viewed positively in hindsight. Time will tell.
