NFL Draft Rumors: Trading Down from No. 25 Is Denver Broncos' Most Sensible Move

There is a ton of optimism in the Mile High City right now as the Denver Broncos signed quarterback Peyton Manning following a season in which they won the AFC West and made the playoffs. They currently hold the No. 25-overall pick in the NFL Draft, but they would be wise to trade down and stockpile selections.

According to Terry McCormick of the National Football Post, the Broncos have every intention of trading down if a deal presents itself. Vice president of football operations John Elway hasn't tried to keep his preference of trading down a secret, nor should he as teams may look to the Broncos in an effort to move up.

An ideal trade for the Broncos would be to move down to the tail end of the first round while picking up either another second- or third-round pick. Failing that, Denver can still afford to make a deal with a team that is picking early in the second round, especially if the Broncos value players 25-40 in their draft board similarly as McCormick suggests.

The Broncos are a team that doesn't really have any pressing needs, so there isn't much reason for them to stay at No. 25, especially if they can get a player they covet later. Denver could stand to upgrade the offensive line in front of Manning as well as the defensive tackle position in order to open up more space for pass-rushers Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller.

By the time Denver's pick comes, all of the elite players at both of those spots are likely to be off the board, so it will all come down to the front office's personal preference at that point. The Broncos already have the skeleton of a contending team with an elite quarterback on offense and two great pass rushers on defense, so it makes sense to get as many picks as possible in order to provide depth to the operation.

Maximizing the amount of picks they have in the draft will also maximize their chances of hitting on the players that they take. One team that has done quite well for itself with this strategy over the years has been the New England Patriots, and it most definitely wouldn't be a bad idea for the Broncos to take a page out of their book.

There aren't many teams in the league currently with the luxury of doing what the Broncos have the ability to do in this draft, so they should take advantage of it. Regardless of whether they keep the 25th pick or not, the Broncos are going to be contenders this season, so it simply makes sense to add several solid players to the mix rather than standing pat and adding one.

Provided Denver trades back a bit, the options for them at the end of the first or beginning of the second round should be endless. Offensive linemen such as Mike Adams, Bobby Massie, Kevin Zeitler, Amini Silatolu and Peter Konz are all possibilities. Also, defensive tackles like Jerel Worthy, Kendall Reyes and Brandon Thompson should be available as well. If the Broncos can get one player from each of those groups, then they can consider their draft a success.

All of the big pieces are already in place for the Broncos, so all that needs to be done now is refining the supporting cast. While they can do that to some degree by staying at No. 25, the process will go a lot quicker if they simply trade down.