The Denver Broncos had been connected to Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, and a possible trade up into the top-10 if necessary to land him. Jeanty is considered the top running back in this class and would be an excellent addition to a Broncos offense expected to rely heavily on Bo Nix well into the future.
Jeanty set records at Boise State, rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns last season. He averaged seven yards per carry on that blue turf. The running back position has seen a revival since this time last year thanks to the likes of Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry. It was Barkley who bet on himself and led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl LIX win over the Chiefs. Now, every other wanna-be contender will follow suit. Jeanty is the perfect prototype.
Per Colton Edwards' scouting report on Jeanty for FanSided, "Jeanty is adept at moving fluidly and demonstrates the ability to excel in both zone and gap schemes. If he continues his dominance, he will be the first running back selected."
Jeanty is impossible to tackle, and at 5-9, 215 pounds should transition well to the NFL game as an immediate contributor. If there are any weaknesses in his game, they are tough to find – though he still needs to develop some as a pass-catcher.
Broncos were interested in Ashton Jeanty. What happened?
As recently as this week, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer connected Denver and Jeanty, writing "if there’s a player who will elicit a trade up into the top 10, I think it will be Jeanty—whether it's the Denver Broncos taking a big swing or the Chicago Bears making a shorter move to leapfrog another team." However, it really isn't that simple.
The asking price for Denver to move up from No. 20 well into the top-10 was already high. The latest draft chatter suggests Jeanty could go as early as No. 5 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, which would force Denver to jump 15 picks. That sort of trade requires either multiple first-round picks, or forfeiting much of the Broncos future. Denver is well within their right to deny such an opportunity, as Sean Payton is most focused on building around their young QB Nix, even if that means missing out on a player of Jeanty's caliber.
Broncos have all the leverage without trading up
At pick No. 20, the Broncos are just fine where they're at. Denver sits right in front of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which have been connected to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Sanders, formerly the betting favorite to go No. 1 overall just a few months ago, has seen his stock drop quite a bit. If the Steelers don't take Sanders, there's a good chance he could be available at the end of the first round.
Most pundits and executives agree this is a weak quarterback class. As a result, Sanders could actually be a flawed QB2 or QB3. The Steelers like his intangibles, and Sanders has garnered some praise from head coach Mike Tomlin. If another quarterback-needy team were in on Shedeur, trading up with the Broncos would make the most sense. Denver is aware of their position, per Adam Schefter.
The Broncos have a ton of leverage, especially if Sanders falls. It makes far more sense for them to stand pat at 20 and hope another interested party trades up in front of Pittsburgh.