Broncos draft picks: Why Denver doesn't have a Round 1 selection in 2023 NFL Draft

Dan Treacy

Broncos draft picks: Why Denver doesn't have a Round 1 selection in 2023 NFL Draft image

The Broncos are trying to re-tool around their core of QB Russell Wilson and newly-hired coach Sean Payton, but they'll have to do so without a first or second-round pick this month.

Denver won't pick until early in the third round of the 2023 draft thanks to a pair of trades, leaving GM George Paton with limited assets after a fairly busy free agency period.

The Broncos finished just 5-12 in 2022, disappointing in Wilson's first season with the team. That was enough to land the franchise's first-round pick in the top five, but it won't bear any fruit for Denver. 

Here's a look back at how the Broncos lost their first-round pick in this year's draft.

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Broncos draft picks 2023

The Broncos only have five picks entering the 2023 NFL Draft, including none in the first two rounds. Denver is in line to make back-to-back picks in the third round as well as three more picks in the top 200 on Day 3 of the draft.

Below is a full list of the Broncos' picks this April.

Round Pick
3 67 (via Colts)
3 68
4 108
5 139
6 195 (via Steelers)

Why don't the Broncos have a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft?

The Broncos traded their first-round pick to the Seahawks in the blockbuster deal for Wilson more than a year ago. Denver certainly didn't expect its pick to become fifth overall, but the Seahawks watched with glee as the Broncos' anemic offense limped to a 5-12 finish and premier draft pick in 2022. 

The Broncos actually landed another first-round pick from the Dolphins, via the 49ers, when they traded Bradley Chubb to Miami in November, but they sent that pick to the Saints for the right to hire Payton in January. 

MORE: Sean Payton trade details: What draft picks Broncos sent to Saints

The Seahawks will select fifth overall, while the Saints will select 29th overall. The Broncos aren't set to pick until No. 67, the first of back-to-back third-round picks for the organization. 

The trade for Wilson hasn't been worth the price to this point, but the Broncos are hoping the addition of Payton will turn the ship around and snap the NFL's second-longest playoff drought.

Who is using the Broncos' pick?

The Seahawks will select fifth overall as a result of the Wilson trade from 2022. The Saints will select 29th overall with the pick the Broncos owned for three months and traded as compensation for Payton.

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy Photo

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.