The 2023 NFL draft is set to begin on Thursday evening, but the Denver Broncos won’t be participating in the fun (barring an unexpected trade).
The first round of the draft will be held on Thursday night, but the Broncos do not hold a first-round pick after trading it to the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 as part of the trade for quarterback Russell Wilson.
After acquiring Wilson last spring, Denver later re-gained a first-round pick when they traded pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins last fall. But the Broncos later gave that pick up as well when they traded it to the New Orleans Saints this spring for the rights to coach Sean Payton.
So after acquiring Wilson and Payton in consecutive offseasons, Denver is not scheduled to pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. The Broncos also don’t have a second-round pick — Denver is scheduled to go on the clock for the first time in the third round (with back-to-back picks).
While fans wait for the action to begin for the Broncos on Day 2, here’s a sampling of some of the best tweets while Denver sits out the first round.