There is a ton of buzz about the Denver Broncos taking a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, former Broncos linebacker Todd Davis says that the team isn’t good enough yet to invest a high pick in a signal-caller.

“You gotta build a good team, and then when the time is right, you go get your quarterback,” Davis, who played four-and-a-half seasons for the Broncos (2014-19), said on his DNVR podcast. “I think we’re missing a lot of pieces that can make us a championship-caliber team along with the quarterback. So maybe you build that winning culture … and then eventually, once it’s time, and you know this is the guy, you trade up to go get him.”

“You got to build a good team and then when the time is right you go get your quarterback”

— @BamBamDavis51 on how the Broncos need to build their team

Do you agree?? pic.twitter.com/6gEPXZKWE4

— DNVR Broncos (@DNVR_Broncos) February 13, 2024

This flies in the face of the rumors that Sean Payton and the Broncos may take a signal-caller at No. 12 in the 2024 NFL Draft or even trade up to take one of the top three prospects.

Todd Davis is Advocating for a Chiefs-Style Build
The general consensus in the NFL in 2024 is that teams must get a franchise quarterback at all costs. Some will hit, and some will bust, but when you have a pick in the top half of the first round and no QB of the future, that’s when you have to strike.

However, what Davis is offering is a more nuanced take on that based on how the Kansas City Chiefs became an NFL dynasty.

“I think Patrick Mahomes came into a great situation, and I think he was able to thrive off the winning culture that was already there with the Chiefs and then build his own legacy because of how talented he is,” Davis posited.

The Chiefs traded up in the 2017 NFL Draft to take Mahomes out of Texas Tech and were then able to sit him a full season to help him acclimate to the league. That’s because Andy Reid had been in KC for four seasons at that point and the squad had made three straight playoff appearances with Alex Smith under center.

So, would Mahomes have been Mahomes no matter where he went? Or did going to a franchise with such a solid infrastructure make him who he is?

This is a chicken and egg conversation that we may never have an answer to, but at least for Davis, he seems to think raising a franchise quarterback is more nurture than nature.

So, if the Broncos pass on QB at No. 12, where else can they go?

Broncos Non-QB Options at No. 12 in the 2024 NFL Draft
If Sean Payton and the Broncos do decide to pass on a quarterback in the NFL draft, they will have several intriguing options at No. 12.

First, you have to consider that at least three QBs will be off the board by then, so Denver should get no worse than the eight-best position player prospect in the draft. If this is the case — which a fair number of mock drafts suggest — there are some cornerstone-level players the Broncos could invest in.

A sampling of mocks that don’t have Payton taking a QB include Garrett Podell of CBS Sports, who has Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II to the AFC West squad. NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund has the team taking Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean, and her colleagues Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah both have Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold to the Broncos.

All these picks could help create a championship-level defense in the Mile High City. Murphy could finally replace the departed Dre’Mont Jones, DeJean’s safety/corner versatility would compliment star safety Justin Simmons nicely, and Arnold and Patrick Surtain II could form one of the most fearsome CB duos in the league.