We now sit just over two months until the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft kicks off, and much speculation and predictions have followed. Around this time, we start to see a collection of mock drafts dropped from various outlets and sources, all with intriguing takes on how we could see the selection process go down.
Among the teams to keep a keen eye on ahead of this year’s draft is the Denver Broncos. They’re armed with the 12th-overall pick, set with a few needs to investigate on both sides of the ball. While a quarterback has been a key talking point and the widely assumed expectation, The Ringer had an interesting take on what we could see go down in the Mile High.
Within The Ringer’s latest 2024 NFL mock draft by Danny Heifetz, the Broncos ended up with Georgia TE Brock Bowers at the 12th pick. Heifetz later gives his rationale for Denver selecting the 6’4 game-breaking pass catcher.
Pass catchers are not Denver’s most pressing need, and Bowers is small for a tight end. But he is a baller, and Sean Payton has a long history of snatching up good football players. Georgia’s offense was built around the special talents that make Bowers a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. He can win one-on-one on the outside but also take jet sweep handoffs and do basically anything else required. It is unfair to compare anyone to Travis Kelce, but Bowers has the rare skill set that could make him the focal point of an offense like Kelce is in Kansas City. Payton can maximize Bowers’s talents.
Bowers finished his junior season at Georgia, posting 56 receptions, 714 yards, and six touchdowns. Throughout his three-year career with the Bulldogs, he’s collected 26 total touchdowns en route to being considered the top prospect at his position in this class. Danny Kelly of The Ringer describes him as “an explosive vertical playmaker and a Mack truck after the catch, capable of creating chunk gains every time he touches the ball.”
While the Broncos have fared decently well at tight end with Greg Dulcich manning the position this past season, Bowers would provide a massive upgrade as an athlete and a dangerous threat for whoever ends up running the offense under center. Dulcich has two years remaining on his current deal, but a talent like Bowers only comes around every so often.
Despite the Broncos’ consistent unrest at quarterback to start this offseason, this decision effectively goes with the best player available rather than reaching on a question mark signal caller. In this mock, we saw Caleb Williams (1), Drake Maye (2), Jayden Daniels (3), and J.J. McCarthy (8) all be selected above where Denver was picking. As a result, Bowers ended up rocking the orange and blue in this scenario.
As we inch closer to the highly-anticipated draft date, expect more mocks to flood in, all with an abundance of different directions the Broncos could end up going on April 27th.
