The Sean Payton-led Denver Broncos won’t have a massive 2023 NFL Draft rookie class, but with their available capital, there’s a good chance George Paton and his staff added at least one or two difference-makers.
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 a trade-up with Kansas City. Past that point, Denver had two picks in the third round — one acquired from Indianapolis and another acquired from Seattle — one in the sixth, and one in the seventh.
The Broncos originally came into the 2023 cycle without a first-round pick after trading their early-round capital to the Seahawks in exchange for Russell Wilson. They received a first-round pick back after sending Bradley Chubb to Miami in 2022. That new first-round pick, however, was soon given to the Saints in exchange for the rights of head coach Sean Payton.
After all of that back-and-forth action, the Broncos possessed no 2023 NFL Draft capital in Round 1 or Round 2 and only five picks total in the 2023 cycle.
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 of which was acquired in a 2022 NFL Draft trade-down with the Indianapolis Colts, who were targeting safety Nick Cross at the time.
The Broncos’ sixth-round pick, meanwhile, was acquired from Pittsburgh 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 Denver acquired at the top of Round 3, was a 2023 NFL Draft LB1 candidate for some. He’s a versatile LB talent with pass-rushing ability and dangerous playmaking range, who’s still growing into an off-ball role.
Past Sanders, the Broncos were able to bring in two talented DBs 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 aggressive run support ability.
With their final pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Broncos shored up their interior offensive line depth with experienced Oregon center Alex Forsyth.