The Denver Broncos have found their quarterback, the one that Sean Payton really wanted. Emphasis on the word "really". With the very next pick, the Las Vegas Raiders took tight end Brock Bowers.
Leading into this draft, it seemed that the proper move for the Broncos would be to trade back and collect more picks, particularly one in the second round. There was a thought that a quarterback could still be available later in the second round.
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The Atlanta Falcons shook that notion up when they drafted Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall.
If the Broncos were going to stay at No. 12, there was little doubt that the player with the most value who could possibly still be on the board was Bowers, a player some have called a generational tight end. When the New York Jets — a team many thought would take Bowers for sure — opted to take Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, Bowers was still, almost unbelievably, on the board.
Brock Bowers is on the board with the Broncos on the clock.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) April 26, 2024
The Broncos are VERY high on the talented tight end.
But the Broncos got their pick into Commissioner Roger Goodell, probably quicker than any team in the first 11 picks. It was for Bo Nix, not Bowers.
Broncos draft Bo Nix, pass on Brock Bowers
Clearly, Sean Payton felt that he needed to get his guy no matter what, and he has done that. But the guy he didn't take, Bowers, will now be a member of the Raiders, free to wreak havoc on his defense for as long as he remains the coach of the Broncos.
Payton will be mostly lauded for this move inside Broncos Country. But it seems much more like playing with fire than it does a sound football decision.
Guess what happens when you do that?
