Denver Broncos Mock Draft Roundup 3.0

I'm following my co-workers and slotting in a quarterback to the Broncos. Why? This might be their only chance to add a high-ceiling signal-caller prospect this offseason -- and not mortgage their future to do it. They're almost certainly going to cut Russell Wilson, leaving a void on the depth chart. They don't have the cap space to try to add a veteran. Moving up from No. 12 might require a future first-rounder that would hamper them down the road. So why not take a shot on McCarthy?

Look, this would be a reach by my rankings, but I could see why a team in the top 15 would talk itself into McCarthy. He has an intriguing skill set as a passer. He will test extremely well during combine workouts and impress coaches and front office execs in interviews. He wasn't asked to carry the Wolverines with his arm the past two seasons, but that doesn't mean he couldn't do it. Sure, McCarthy needs some refinement, but Sean Payton could get the best out of him in Denver.

This is a new rule in the NFL Draft: Anytime you give up 70 points, your ensuing first-round pick the following spring has to be a defensive player. And in Turner, the Broncos get a threat to get home to the quarterback; he leaves Alabama with 22.5 sacks in three years. Denver needs another alpha on that side of the ball alongside fellow Crimson Tide alum Patrick Surtain II. — Kamrani

Sean Payton could target the Michigan standout as his QB1 of the future.

Trade: Broncos send No. 12, No. 76 and a 2025 fourth-round pick to Bears for No. 9

The Broncos appear ready to move on from Russell Wilson before free agency and the draft, leaving the franchise with a massive dead-money charge and another hole at quarterback. In McCarthy, Sean Payton gets a young, cost-controlled QB with a winning pedigree he can build around. If Payton beats Jim Harbaugh in the AFC West with his own QB, it would only be a bonus. — Nick Kosmider

Denver ends up in a tough spot here with the favored quarterbacks off the board, but it can bolster another premium position that needs an infusion of talent. Turner is potentially the best edge rusher in the class and fills a need for the rebuilding Broncos.

Denver is another potential landing spot for a quarterback. In this exercise, though, they complement some of the young talent in the secondary with a difference-maker up front.