It was a busy offseason for George Paton and the Denver Broncos. How many draft picks did the Broncos have to work with in the 2023 NFL Draft? Here’s how it all played out after a tumultuous stretch through 2022 and 2023.
Want to see how the Broncos graded out during the 2023 NFL Draft? Then come check out our full Denver Broncos draft grades. You can also see the entire 2023 NFL Draft results.
Denver Broncos Draft Picks by Round in 2023
- Round 2, Pick 63 (from Kansas City)
Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Oklahoma - Round 3, Pick 67 (from IND)
Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas - Round 3, Pick 83 (from SEA)
Riley Moss, CB, Iowa - Round 6, Pick 183 (from PIT via DET)
JL Skinner, S, Boise State - Round 7, Pick 257
Alex Forsyth, C, Oregon
How Many Draft Picks Did the Broncos Have Entering the 2023 NFL Draft?
The Broncos had five total picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. One second-rounder they acquired via trade with Kansas City and No. 67 from Indianapolis. Past that point, the Broncos had two picks in the third round, one in the sixth, and one in the seventh.
It was a tumultuous cycle for Denver’s first-round aspirations. The Broncos originally came into the 2023 cycle without a first-round pick. They traded both their original first-round and second-round picks — among other assets — to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for quarterback Russell Wilson.
Denver was then able to get a first-round pick back by trading Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. Miami sent back a late first-rounder that had originally belonged to the 49ers. It was the pick San Francisco sent to Miami in a trade-up for quarterback Trey Lance.
In the ensuing 2023 offseason, however, the Broncos gave up their new first-round pick — this time in a major coaching acquisition. Denver sent their first-round pick to the New Orleans Saints, along with a 2024 second-rounder, in exchange for the rights to head coach Sean Payton.
MORE: History of Denver Broncos First-Round NFL Draft Picks
All of that action led the Broncos to no pick in the first round and only five picks total in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Broncos first got on the board with a late second-round pick, trading up to acquire Marvin Mims. They followed that up with two third-rounders. One was their own, while the other was acquired in a 2022 NFL Draft trade-down with the Indianapolis Colts, who were targeting safety Nick Cross.
The Broncos’ sixth-round pick, meanwhile, was acquired from the Steelers in exchange for edge rusher Malik Reed.
Mims is the headliner of Denver’s class with his dynamic vertical ability at WR, but the Broncos were able to attain optimal value with the rest of their selections. Drew Sanders, whom the Broncos acquired at the start of Round 3, was a 2023 NFL Draft LB1 candidate for some. He’s a versatile LB talent with pass-rushing ability, who’s still growing into an off-ball role and has the range to be dangerous.
Past Sanders, the Broncos were able to bring in two talented defensive backs in cornerback Riley Moss and safety JL Skinner. Moss is an athletic ball hawk with smooth coverage instincts and some positional versatility, while Skinner is a size/speed phenom at 6’4″, with ruthless aggression as a support defender.
With their final pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Broncos shored up their interior offensive line depth with experienced Oregon center Alex Forsyth.
