ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A year ago, the trade chatter was constant.

A slew of mock drafts projected the Broncos would climb from the No. 12 overall pick to snag their quarterback of the future.

The Broncos, of course, did not end up making a first-round trade. The team stayed at its original slot and still drafted their franchise quarterback, as Bo Nix broke nearly every rookie franchise record in his first year in Denver.

As the 2025 NFL Draft approaches, will history repeat itself? Are the Broncos destined to remain and pick at No. 20 — or will Denver navigate the board in either direction?

The first round, of course, is just one piece of the puzzle. During last year's draft, the Broncos began Day 3 with a trade up the board to draft wide receiver Troy Franklin and also acquired a defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers in exchange for a late-round pick.

These moves — and the ones that Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton have made throughout their careers — can provide helpful context about what to potentially expect as the 2025 NFL Draft begins.

Payton and Paton have now worked a pair of drafts together, and there's plenty to dive into as the Broncos look to add more talent to their roster.

[Editor's note: All figures reference trades made during the draft. Trades made before or after the draft are not included.]

UP OR DOWN?

Over the last two years, the Broncos have executed four trades that involved receiving draft capital — and three of them involved moving up the board. In 2023, Denver moved up twice — both times on Day 2 — before moving back on Day 3. In the final trade of 2023, Denver moved back but also acquired a veteran player in tight end Adam Trautman. A year ago, Denver's lone trade which included receiving capital was a move to near the top of the fourth round to select Franklin. Denver traded picks No. 121, 136 and 207 to receive picks No. 102 and 235.

During Payton's tenure in New Orleans, 22 of his 25 draft-day trades were to move up the board, and all three of the trade-downs came within his first two years with the Saints. Paton, meanwhile, traded up twice and traded down four times in his first two drafts in Denver.

TOTAL TRADES

The Broncos were slightly less busy in 2024, as Denver executed a pair of trades after three in each of the Broncos' last three drafts. In addition to the trade up for Franklin, Denver sent a sixth-round pick to the Jets for Franklin-Myers. The Broncos, though, did also make a trade the day before the draft to acquire veteran quarterback Zach Wilson.

WHEN THE TRADE WAS MADE

Denver has yet to make a Round 1 trade since Paton and Payton joined forces, though it's worth noting 2024 was the first year the team held a first-round pick. In 2024, Denver waited until the start of Day 3 to move up the board to select the speedy receiver out of Oregon, and the team's acquisition of Franklin-Myers also involved Day 3 capital. A year earlier, Denver made a pair of Day 2 trades to move up to get wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. and cornerback Riley Moss. Paton also made a pair of third-round trades in 2022 and three Day 2 trades during his first draft. In his career, Payton has made at least four trades in each round from the first through fifth rounds.

TRADING PARTNERS

The Broncos have largely traded with NFC opponents since Paton and Payton began working together, and Denver made a deal with Seattle to acquire Franklin in 2024. That trade came after deals with the Lions, Seahawks and Saints in 2023. Denver did make its first draft-day deal with an AFC team under current leadership with the club's acquisition of Franklin-Myers.

PICKS OR PLAYERS?

Denver has executed a trade that involves a veteran player in each of the last two years, as the Broncos acquired Trautman in 2023 and Franklin-Myers in 2024. Under Payton's guidance in New Orleans, the Saints made three such trades, with a pair of them coming in Payton's first year as head coach. And while this article focuses on draft-day swaps, Paton has also acquired a pair of players — Wilson and Teddy Bridgewater — in deals just before the draft began.

WHAT'S IT MEAN?

The information above provides helpful context and may point to some possible trends, but each draft provides its own opportunities. The Broncos could pull off their first first-round trade since 2019, or they could stay at No. 20 and snag a talented player. But no matter which direction the Broncos choose to go in, they'll be prepared.

"We've made calls — this week you make a lot of calls and then next week [are] the more serious calls," Paton said Thursday. "'Hey, if this player is here, we want to move up,' or what have you. I've talked to most [general managers] in the NFL to set the table or set the plan of, 'Hey, if your player is here and you move up, what's the range?' You start talking parameters. It gets more serious next week and then really draft day. Sometimes, you haven't heard from a team and someone just really wants to come up and they are aggressive [because] their player is there."