Could the Rams be key to a blockbuster trade scenario on draft day?

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Bucking Broncos

The Denver Broncos, now in the second season for HC Sean Payton, are itching to make a move. This is a team that currently holds the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but wants to land among the Top-5 in order to select a franchise quarterback of the future. But to jump up to the fourth overall pick, this team will need some help:

NFL Insider @TonyPauline reports Sean Payton is ready to give up a king's ransom for a top QB prospect:

"Any package to move up will include at least one future first-round pick as well as CB Patrick Surtain II and the 12th selection in this year's draft.

Woah.
— Johnny Venerable (@JohnnyVenerable) April 18, 2024

The thing is, are the Cardinals eager to get a package of picks and players? Or would they prefer to dabble in picks alone? If it's the latter, then they will end any negotiations with the Broncos almost instantly about swapping draft picks in 2024. But if the Broncos could dangle the 12th and 19th overall picks in front of the Cardinals, now we're talking trade negotiations. So what would the Broncos need to offer the Rams for the 19th overall pick?

Well, DB Patrick Surtain II is a great place to start. His arrival to this secondary would upgrade it instantly to one of the top groups in the NFL. In an article by ESPN senior staff writer Bill Barnwell, he floats the idea of the Rams trading their 2024 Round 1 and Round 3 plus a 2025 Round 1 pick to the Denver Broncos for Patrick Surtain II and a 2026 Round 6 pick. While that feels like a pretty steep price for the Rams to pay in a trade that was initiated by the Broncos, let's play this one out.

With the 12th, 19th, 76th, and 99th overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Broncos instantly have the firepower to pry the 4th overall pick from the Cardinals. Would they pull the trigger? Yes, yes they would:

The Broncos, sitting at 12, have done their homework on the top QBs—sending a Sean Payton-led contingent to Ann Arbor to work out Michigan's JJ McCarthy, and hosting Washington's Michael Penix on a 30 visit.

Denver has 8 picks, but its lack of a 2nd-rounder might limit movement.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 19, 2024

Would the Rams make this trade? That seems less likely. The value of the trade scenario proposed is heavy and favors the Broncos outright. While Surtain is an accomplished defensive back, but I refute comparisons between him and former Rams DB Jalen Ramsey. Remove the Round 3 pick in 2024, and upgrade that 2026 pick that the Rams get in return to a Round 4 pick? Then you may see some movement on this scenarios.

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