Denver Broncos general manager John Elway confirmed on Thursday evening that he tried to trade back into the first round of the NFL Draft. Elway didn’t mention who the Broncos were targeting but it probably was a linebacker.
Denver “had strong interest in Patrick Queen,” according to Brandon Krisztal of KOA Radio. The Baltimore Ravens picked Queen with the 28th overall pick in the first round. Elway said on Thursday evening that teams didn’t want to trade down as far as the Broncos’ next pick (No. 46).
On Thursday evening, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis reported that if Denver had traded down from No. 15, they would have gone after Queen or fellow linebacker Kenneth Murray later in the first round.
The Broncos ended up staying at No. 15 and picked Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, the top receiver on their big board. It’s probably safe to assume that Queen and Murray were the players Denver was trying to target when they attempted to trade back into the first round.
The Broncos will have four picks to use on Friday and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Elway make a trade or two to move up for a coveted prospect. Logan Wilson and Akeem Davis-Gaither are among the top linebackers still on the board. There are also several notable cornerbacks and offensive linemen available as well.
