Producing a mock draft before free agency is like buying furniture before you know the dimensions of your living room. With the new league year starting next week — the legal negotiating with representatives of free agents begins Monday — the Broncos’ 2025 roster will begin to take shape. We will have a better idea of what holes have been filled and where they still need to build when the draft arrives in late April.

Still, there are enough clues about how the Broncos may handle free agency to inform our second mock team draft of the offseason. Denver may be looking at inside linebacker and safety as positions where they could upgrade their starters. Those aren’t the only spots head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton will look to address. Their oft-stated desire to find a running back and a tight end who can contribute more significantly to the passing game could be at least partly addressed with depth additions in free agency. They could be in the market for another defensive line starter if they can’t re-sign D.J. Jones. They may search for another impactful receiver.

Broncos hinted at measured free-agency approach, but could they make a splash?

Figuring out which needs should be filled in free agency and which can be solved in the draft is a puzzle, Payton likes to say, that makes each offseason unique.

Below is one way the puzzle could come together. I used Dane Brugler’s latest top-100 big board and The Athletic’s consensus big board as guides while also examining needs on Denver’s roster, and then operated the mock draft with the help of Pro Football Network’s simulator. (Note: The order of picks beyond the third round is unofficial pending the allocation of compensatory picks by the NFL.)

Round 1, No. 28: Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon

The Broncos have a decision to make with Jones, the nose tackle who has been a centerpiece of the team’s defensive line for the past three seasons. But even if they re-sign Jones, they’re still very much open to adding talent at positions of strength. Paton said at the combine last month that Denver wants to “just keep feeding those lines” on both sides of the ball. With three playmakers routinely connected to the Broncos already off the board — running back Ashton Jeanty and tight ends Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland — moving back and collecting another second-round pick makes sense.

Harmon, the No. 19 player on Brugler’s top 100 big board, ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at 311 pounds at the combine. He generated 55 quarterback pressures last season and had five sacks. He also deflected four passes at the line of scrimmage. In short, he’s a disruptive interior presence. As the Broncos try to replicate their league-leading assault on quarterbacks from last season, they could do worse than adding a player with those kinds of interior pass-rushing bona fides.

The Broncos selected North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton in Brugler’s latest mock draft at No. 20. In his exercise, like this one, Jeanty, Warren and Loveland were unavailable. If the Broncos believe Hampton, who had an excellent on-field performance at the combine, is the right dynamic chess piece to insert into their offense, that move would make a lot of sense.

But the Broncos will have a lot of options when it comes to adding to their backfield. For a team still playing catch-up with draft capital after the trades for Russell Wilson (2022) and Payton (2023), moving back in the first round and grabbing another pick in what may be the sweet spot of the draft was too enticing an offer to pass up in this exercise.

Round 2, No. 51: Mason Taylor, TE, LSU

Much of the talk about tight ends in the draft is centered on Warren and Loveland, the likely first-round picks, but the Broncos will have many options at this position during the middle rounds. It’s another reason moving back in the first round and collecting another second-round dart to throw is an intriguing scenario.

Taylor is a fluid route runner at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds who was moved all over the field during his three seasons at LSU. He has quick acceleration when slipping out of the backfield and making catches on the move, which is one of the ways Payton likes to use tight ends. Taylor caught 55 passes for 546 yards and two touchdowns at LSU last season.

An intriguing Broncos connection: All six of Paton’s seasons working in the Miami Dolphins front office (2001 to 2006) overlapped with Mason’s father, Hall of Fame pass rusher Jason Taylor. Paton may even have memories of Mason, born in 2004, crawling around the Dolphins’ training facility. He shared similar recollections of Pat Surtain II, whose father played for the Dolphins during Paton’s tenure, when the Broncos drafted the cornerback in 2021.

Round 2, No. 60 (from Detroit): Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa

There will be different flavors for NFL front offices to evaluate in a seemingly deep group of running backs. Johnson found consistent success as a runner despite Iowa having little in the way of a passing game to support him. Big Ten defenses were loaded up with stacked boxes to limit him, and Johnson still ran for 1,537 yards (6.4 per carry) and an eye-popping 21 touchdowns in 12 games.

Johnson, Brugler’s 35th-ranked prospect heading into the combine, ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash. That may not have been the number Johnson was hoping to put up, but Denver hasn’t over-emphasized that sprint in its evaluation of running backs. The Broncos selected Javonte Williams early in the second round in 2021 after he ran a 4.55 40 at his pro day (there was no combine that year due to COVID-19) and took Audric Estimé in the fifth round last year after he posted a 4.71-second 40 at the combine. (Estimé later improved the mark at his pro day.)

The bigger question is how the Broncos and other teams project his skills as a receiver. Johnson, who met with Denver coaches and evaluators at the combine, had 22 catches for 188 yards last season, but much of his work came in the flats and the screen game. That would be a part of his diet as an NFL back, but the Broncos also want someone who can work the middle of the field.

Call me old-fashioned, but a running back’s most important function is running the football. Payton won’t give any of his running backs 20 carries per game, but Denver must have a more consistent lead ball-carrier after Williams led the team with an average of 8.2 rush attempts. Johnson could certainly fill that role.

Other running back options in this general neighborhood of the draft could include TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins of Ohio State, DJ Giddens of Kansas State and Cam Skattebo of Arizona State.

Round 3, No. 85: Jared Wilson, C, Georgia

The Broncos are set to spend $65.02 million in cash on its offensive line in 2025, according to Spotrac, the second-highest total in the NFL. The only starter not under contract beyond next season is center Luke Wattenberg. It’s hard to envision the Broncos being in a position next offseason to hand out another huge offensive line contract. They must continue building young depth options along the offensive line to make their financial model work. Remember Paton’s words: “Just keep feeding those lines.”

Wilson, who started only one season in college, could be the ideal type of player to work behind the scenes and potentially develop into a starter in Year 2. It’s entirely possible Wilson isn’t available this deep into the draft after his performance at the combine. His 4.84-second 40 was the fastest among all offensive linemen, and his 9-foot-4 broad jump ranked fifth. He also had the fourth-best 20-yard shuttle time (4.56 seconds). Wilson still has a lot to master at center, and he missed a chance to showcase his ability when he pulled out of the Senior Bowl for health reasons, but he has unique physical traits the Broncos would have time to harness and develop.

Jared Wilson is a OC prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.97 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 3 out of 626 OC from 1987 to 2025.

Round 4, No. 121: Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, South Carolina

The Broncos could make a sizable investment at inside linebacker in free agency. Cody Barton and Justin Strnad are free agents. Alex Singleton, coming off last fall’s ACL injury, is entering the final year of his deal that has $5.5 million of non-guaranteed base salary remaining. The Broncos have a pair of young players at the position in Drew Sanders and Levelle Bailey who have shown flashes, but little in the way of sustained consistency. They need immediate impact and long-term additions at the position this offseason.

Knight could potentially fit into both buckets. The 25-year-old played a combined six college seasons at Georgia Tech (2019-2022), Charlotte (2023) and South Carolina (2024), demonstrating an ability to excel in various schemes. Knight, a dual-threat quarterback in high school who didn’t transition to linebacker until arriving at Georgia Tech, has good instincts in coverage. He had four interceptions across his past two seasons — he played all 25 possible games after dealing with injuries earlier in his career — and also averaged two sacks and 89 tackles during that span.

Round 6, Pick 193 (from Arizona): Dont’e Thornton Jr., WR, Tennessee

The talent in the free-agent receiver pool has expanded in recent days. Davante Adams (Jets) and Tyler Lockett (Seahawks) are now available after being cut by their respective teams, and Seahawks star DK Metcalf is reportedly on the trading block. But I don’t expect the Broncos to shop at the top of the market at the position. It’s a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, and Courtland Sutton had a season that was as productive as any of those aforementioned targets. Sutton, who is seeking a new deal as he heads into the final year of his contract, has the added benefit of familiarity with Bo Nix and the Broncos offense.

The Broncos could be in the market for a No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver if they can find the right deal. It could be a larger investment than what Denver made when they gave a two-year, $9 million deal to Josh Reynolds last offseason. Darius Slayton will be an interesting name to monitor after the 28-year-old averaged 45 catches, 689 yards and 3 touchdowns across his past three seasons with the New York Giants. Demarcus Robinson and K.J. Osborn, whom Paton was involved with drafting in 2020 with the Minnesota Vikings, are among other veteran options.

No free agency moves would prevent the Broncos from taking a flyer with specific traits late in the draft. Thornton is a burner who averaged 25.4 yards per reception at Tennessee last season and ran the second-fastest 40 at the combine (4.30 seconds). He caught 17 passes from Nix at Oregon in 2022.

4.30u!

Round 6, Pick 199: Jaylin Smith, CB, USC

Expect the Broncos to keep throwing developmental prospects in Jim Leonhard’s direction after Denver’s secondary coach helped cornerback Riley Moss put together a strong first season as a starter in 2024. The Broncos are bringing back Ja’Quan McMillian, who has been the team’s starting nickel the past two seasons, and last year’s fifth-round pick, Kris Abrams-Draine, showed promise in his limited action last season.

Denver can still use more young players in the pipeline. Smith profiles as a player who could be featured in numerous spots, though he’s probably most likely to find a home inside, given his size (5-10, 187 pounds).

Round 6, Pick 210 (from Philadelphia): Craig Woodson, S, California

Woodson may not last this long after putting up a faster 40 time at the combine (4.45 seconds, tied for fifth-best at his position) than some may have expected. This would be another late-round pick used on an older, experienced player after the Broncos used their seventh-round pick on 26-year-old wide receiver Devaughn Vele last season. Woodson, 24, was a five-year player at Cal who had two interceptions and a career-best seven passes defensed last season.