3 NFL Draft prospects the Broncos should avoid

2. Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

Pitts is far and away the No. 1 tight end prospect in this year’s draft class. He isn’t a dominant in-line blocker, but he is an elite receiver for the position. When he lines up in the slot he looks a lot more like a wide receiver running patterns than he does a lumbering tight end.

It may be tempting for Denver to select a dynamic receiver like Pitts to give Lock an even better chance to succeed at quarterback in 2021. The mistake here would be ignoring the fact that the Broncos already have a tight end of this ilk on their roster. Noah Fant may not be dominating the NFL like the team’s front office envisioned when they drafted him, but that’s more a product of Lock’s shortcomings than any weaknesses in Fant’s game.

The odds favor Pitts flying off the board before Denver goes on the clock at No. 9. If the former Florida standout is available when the Broncos make their selection, the franchise will feel some pressure to stop his fall because he will be the best overall player available.

Denver is not a team that can afford to eschew their needs entirely just to draft the most talented player on the board. That’s a luxury playoff teams enjoy, but the Broncos can’t afford to pass on filling a need in Round 1. Pitts may turn into a star, but he isn’t a big enough upgrade over Fant to allow Denver to make such a luxury pick.