ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos are approaching their third draft weekend without a first-round pick in the past five years. As the team's decision-makers have been ensconced in what general manager George Paton affectionately called "the dungeon,'' Paton said they have narrowed the field to six players they think will be available at No. 62, the team's first selection of the draft weekend that begins Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN, ABC and ESPN the app).
This time, their exit from Thursday's opening round was thanks to the trade for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle last month. As a result, the Broncos are not scheduled to open their draft proceedings until Friday at No. 62. And because of the Waddle trade, they are currently set to sit out the third round and won't make their remaining six picks until Saturday.
"We feel good about those (six) players," Paton said. "We're going to keep working through them ... We feel good about 62. We feel good about the fourth round as well. That's harder to predict, obviously. We like our process, we like how it's worked, and we feel good with where we're at."
Denver is not going to reveal those six players publicly. However, the intersection of its roster needs and the known prospects in that draft range who have been among the allotted 30 visits to its complex does provide a short list of potential selections.
The Broncos, who were tied for the league's best record last season at 14-3, took a decidedly inward approach to free agency as they re-signed 17 of their 21 players who were slated to be unrestricted, restricted or exclusive rights free agents. Waddle and safety Tycen Anderson, who signed a one-year deal, were the only additions.
But tight end, where the returning group combined for just three touchdowns last season and none averaged more than 9.8 yards per catch, is an area of need, as is inside linebacker and the defensive line. The Broncos released linebacker Dre Greenlaw and lost defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers in free agency, and both were starters.
"We're always going to take the best player available within reason," Paton said. "If there are a couple of defensive backs there and there are other players maybe that are a bigger need, we would go that way (to the need)."
Among the players who have visited their facility -- the Broncos have made it common practice in recent seasons to have most, or all, of their draft classes comprised of players who made 30 visits -- were tight ends Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt) and Max Klare (Ohio State). Both players carry, according to many evaluators in the league, grades worthy of the No. 62 pick or even potentially earlier.
NC State tight end Justin Joly, a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick for some, has also visited, as has Nate Boerkircher (Texas A&M).
Stowers, Klare and Joly are considered far more advanced as receivers than as blockers. Broncos coach Sean Payton has often talked about the difficulty of finding a college tight end who is ready for NFL responsibilities on both passing and running plays.
"If you are looking for a blocking 'Y', there are a handful available that would be targeted," Payton said about this year's class of tight ends. "If you are looking for a move, maybe a little bit undersized 'F,' they are out there. To each his own, the different type of tight ends are available. It's always a challenge with that position because sometimes you are projecting maybe in an offense that is playing them differently."
Among the linebackers the Broncos have hosted was Jimmy Rolder (Michigan), who led the Wolverines in tackles this past season (73). The Broncos also have heavily vetted Josiah Trotter (Missouri), who has had some knee issues, including arthroscopic surgery at the end of last season, and Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech).
Rodriguez might be long off the board by the time the No. 62 pick arrives, but Paton did say in recent days the Broncos would be prepared to move up in the second round if they saw a prospect who enticed them.
Payton said there are more inside linebacker prospects worthy of a long look on this draft board "than we're used to." But the Broncos also intend to give Jonah Elliss, a third-round pick in 2024, some snaps at inside linebacker in the offseason program and training camp, and Payton said that could influence how things unfold as well.
Among the defensive tackles who carry second- and third-round grades for many evaluators and have also visited the Broncos are Caleb Banks (Florida), Christen Miller (Georgia) and Gracen Halton (Oklahoma). Banks has dealt with multiple foot injuries, including a fracture discovered at the combine. He and Miller are considered top-40 players by some teams.
Miller fits the profile of Franklin-Myers in the Broncos defensive front, bringing power and experience (24 starts in his 39 games for the Bulldogs). Banks has rare length, with a 85 3/4-inch wingspan at just over 6-foot-6.
Halton isn't quite as big as either Banks or Miller -- 293 pounds compared to Miller's 321 pounds and Banks' 327 -- but he is considered one of the draft's best interior pass rushers. He wins more with quickness and had 25 pressures from the defensive tackle spot this past season -- 11th best among FBS interior rushers.
The Broncos say they feel good about their ability to construct a draft class without the first-rounder given their recent experience. The last two times they didn't have a first-round pick -- 2022 and 2023 -- they selected outside linebacker Nik Bonitto at No. 64 in the '22 draft and wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. at No. 63 in the '23 draft.
Those two players have each made two Pro Bowl selections in the seasons since (Bonitto as an outside linebacker, Mims as a returner). Bonitto led the team in sacks this past season.
"The good news is we have experience with this," Paton said. "We think there are good players in this draft, we think there are good players where we're picking at 62. ... We like it. We don't mind it. ... We have experience with this. We've gotten good players with lesser picks, so we feel good."