Denver Broncos will not take a QB in first round, according to recent odds

Travis Wakeman

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Denver Broncos will not take a QB in first round, according to recent odds image

Though it is the one thing that many Denver Broncos fans are still hoping and perhaps expecting to see, the team likely will not take a quarterback in the first round of this year's draft. At least, that is how recent analytics run by ESPN appear to show. 

The Broncos sit at No. 12 in the first round and could go in many different directions with that pick. Trading back seems to be the best move for a team without a second-round pick but it does feel like the team needs to get a quarterback out of this draft. 

We can expect to see quarterbacks fly off the board early, likely with the first three picks, and then things get quite interesting when the Arizona Cardinals take the clock at No. 4. That is a spot many teams could be looking to trade into to grab someone like J.J. McCarthy or Drake Maye. 

There will be quarterbacks still on the board when it comes to the Broncos pick, but current odds are low that the Broncos take one. According to the analytics, there is about a 3% chance that the Broncos take Michael Penix Jr. in that spot and only about a 2% chance that they go with Bo Nix. So, who are the more likely players the team selects at No. 12? Most likely, not the guys on the top of your list.

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Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State: 13%
Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama: 11%
Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo: 11%

Looking at the top team needs provided by the same ESPN chart, that would make Turner the best fit for that spot. Turner is perhaps the top rusher off of the edge in this draft class, but the Broncos are still going to be best off by listening to offers from teams further down the board and trading back to acquire more picks. 

 

Both Penix and Nix will likely be available later in the draft so if the team feels one of them is a good fit, there will be chances to grab one. Taking one of them at No. 12 would be a poor decision. 

The Broncos need to come away from this draft with much more than just a quarterback. 

Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.