Broncos Urged to Make Blockbuster Draft Trade to Land RB1 Ashton Jeanty

The Denver Broncos added a number of talented high-upside free agents and rounded out a majority of their roster this offseason. However, Denver has one more glaring immediate hole on the depth chart at the running back position.

In the 2025 draft, there happens to be one consensus superstar running back in Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. But with the Broncos picking at 20 overall and Jeanty likely going in the top 10, the dream of swapping the Boise State Bronco's Orange and Blue to the Denver version is currently just that, a dream.

However, given Sean Payton’s historical precedent of moving aggressively up the draft board for prospects he loves, the team’s comments about wanting to add running back and specifically a three-down back if possible, and the Broncos entering a three-to-five-year competitive window surrounding Bo Nix on a cost-controlled contract, could they do the unthinkable and make a bold trade up for a running back in what is considered one of the deepest running back classes in over a decade?

That’s something The Athletic’s draft guru Dane Brugler lobbied for on a recent episode of The Athletic Football Show with Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen. After discussing Jeanty’s profile as one of the better running back prospects to enter the league in many years and one of the few truly blue-chip talents in the 2025 draft, Brugler linked the Broncos to Jeanty as a dream scenario for all parties.

“And to answer your original question about where we want to see the best fit for Jeanty, Sean Payton, trading up into the top 10," Brugler said. "Make it happen. Splash! To me, I would love to see that fit and to see how that would work with that offense, with that quarterback. I think that'd be a lot of fun.” 

If Jeanty were to fall past the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 5 and the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6, Mays suggested the Carolina Panthers as a probable trade partner should the Broncos look to trade up from 20.

“If you're a team like Carolina and you think that from 8 to 20, the talent flattens a little bit, you need pieces, you have a second round pick, but it's not yours. You traded that pick away to the Bears. You could probably use some more picks," Mays said. "That's a team I would probably be calling in if I were the Broncos because I think that's the team you could probably convince to trade out of that spot. There are toolsy defensive prospects available there, Dane, but I think there aren't as complete defensive prospects available there, or maybe you can get a similar tier of guy at 20 that you could get at eight.”

Brugler agreed that the Panthers at No. 8 were very much a team that could be in the market to trade back, given how many pieces they still need to retool the defense and build around quarterback Bryce Young. Brugler also noted Payton’s previous aggression in early-round trades as another reason that this isn’t a completely unfathomable scenario for Denver.

“You know, Sean Payton is always ready to strike if he sees an opportunity. So, I don't know, the chances of that happening are, I think, pretty low, but that would just be one that would, I think, make a ton of sense if the opportunity is there,” Brugler said.

Given the Broncos' desire to add a well-rounded all-around back in the draft, could pick 20 and 51 overall get it done for the Broncos to move up for Jeanty, or would it take even more? Would it be a wise move for the Broncos to give up two premium draft picks, given how few top 100 selections they've had to utilize over the past few seasons?

Further, is Jeanty so special and so close to a guarantee that trading up and putting that many eggs in his basket better than sitting back and taking a back at No. 20, or 51, or 85, or multiple backs?

Odds are, if Jeanty falls past the Raiders at No. 6, the Broncos will need to jump the Chicago Bears at No. 10 to land the Heisman Trophy runner-up. It might not be the most prudent team-building strategy to trade up for a running back in this class but it certainly would be a bold move for the Broncos that would announce to the league that they view themselves as a legit contender right now.

Even though the general consensus might go against a first-round trade-up for a running back in such a loaded class, what Payton has done for the Broncos in just three offseasons should give him the benefit of the doubt with whichever moves he makes in this year’s draft. If that’s a trade-up for Jeanty into the top 10, then so be it.