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Mock NFL Draft season is officially off and running following Super Bowl LIX. The Denver Broncos will shake up April’s draft involving the Cincinnati Bengals and Adam Trautman, one analyst said Monday.
Fresh off a playoff run, the Broncos are aiming to build around Bo Nix. Broncos CEO Greg Penner already praised the play of Nix. That signals Nix is the guy moving forward and it’s time to add new weaponry.
Trautman, however, could get pushed out in this scenario. Draft expert Chad Reuter of NFL.com predicts Trautman will watch a long term replacement come to Denver.
The former New Orleans Saints TE Trautman joined Sean Payton in the Rocky Mountains for the last two seasons. This move Reuter proposes has Payton gaining a younger option who can “endear” Payton. Plus bolster the air attack moving forward with Nix at the controls.
Who is this potential fill-in for the 28-year-old Trautman? He’s considered one of the top TE’s available for the 2025 class. And he’s a past national championship winner.
Reuter predicts Denver will move up to No. 16 to grab Michigan star Colston Loveland. What makes the Michigan star a fit for Payton?
“Loveland’s reliable hands, body control, foot quickness and willingness to block should endear him to head coach Sean Payton,” Reuter wrote first.
Reuter mapped out how Payton and Denver lures Loveland over to the Wild Card qualifier. They’ll jump past Cincinnati in the race to swoop up a tight end.
“The Broncos send Pick No. 20 overall, along with a third- and sixth-round selection, to the Cardinals for their first- and fifth-round selections, jumping ahead of the tight end-needy Bengals,” Reuter added.
This TE class is shaping up as an intriguing one. Especially as longtime dominating TEs George Kittle and Travis Kelce get older. Loveland looks capable to carry the next generation for the position alongside Penn State star Tyler Warren.
He’s a towering 6-foot-5, 245-pound option with “the athletic ability and ball skills to become an elite talent as a pass catcher,” as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his draft evaluation. Zierlein even compared Loveland to Detroit Lions star Sam LaPorta.
Trautman, meanwhile, doesn’t officially become a free agent until 2026. But he carries a potential opt-out for 2025. Trautman carries a $4.5 million cap hit for this offseason, per Spotrac. Denver general manager George Paton can have the power to find a trade partner or release Trautman to make space for Loveland.
The native of Gooding, Idaho is leaving Ann Arbor with a career-high 56 receptions and five touchdowns. He also racked up 582 yards. Nix gains a new security blanket moving forward in this mock.
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