NBC’s Peter King has made two predictions about the Denver Broncos’ plans for the 2023 NFL draft.
First, King predicted Denver will not trade a wide receiver during the draft. After that, he named a potential late-round quarterback the Broncos could consider on Saturday.
“The Broncos pick 67 and 68 to start,” King wrote on Monday. “I don’t expect them to trade a receiver, and I do expect them, on day three, to sniff around Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell.”
O’Connell (6-3, 213 pounds) completed 64.1% of his passes for 3,490 yards and 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 12 games last fall. Denver already has Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team add another QB to give Jarrett Guarantano competition for QB3 duties.
Drew Brees, who played under Payton with the New Orleans Saints, was a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year at Purdue and he returned to his alma mater last winter to serve as an interim assistant coach with the Boilermakers.
Payton and Brees still have a close relationship, so Denver potentially having interest in O’Connell might be influenced at least in part by Brees’ knowledge of the school’s program and players.
Two other QBs, Oregon State’s Jack Colletto and Penn State’s Sean Clifford, will also be late-round prospects to keep an eye on this weekend.
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