Denver, CO

2024 NFL Draft: Hart’s final Broncos 7-round mock draft

Published

2 years ago

April 25, 2024

2024 NFL Draft: Hart’s final Broncos 7-round mock draft

After a long offseason of waiting—the time is finally here. The future is now. The 2024 NFL Draft is just a few hours away from kicking off!

With that in mind, I thought it would be apt to do a final mock draft for the Denver Broncos. Keep in mind this isn’t what I would necessarily want them to do—but what could reasonably be expected due to recent rumors and musings surrounding the franchise.

One of the big bombshells dropped a few days ago. According to NFL Insider and Draft Analyst Tony Pauline, the Broncos have multiple teams interested in trading up to the #12 overall pick with the target being Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. For the purposes of this exercise, I have the Broncos trading back with the Steelers and getting a second-round and fourth-round selection in this year’s draft.

The Denver Broncos trade the #12 selection to the Pittsburgh Steelers for #20, #51 and #119.

#20 Overall — Bo Nix — Quarterback — Oregon

The Broncos traded for Zach Wilson earlier in the week, but there is little doubt in my mind they still desire to take a quarterback in this year’s draft. Nix has a lot of positive skills and traits that line up well with what Sean Payton likes in a quarterback. He is experienced, accurate, plays well within structure, and is a good timing and rhythm passer. While his arm strength isn’t the best, he did have some of the better deep ball grades in this class.

A lot of fans might not like missing out on one of the top four quarterbacks in this year’s class, but selecting Nix and getting extra picks is a win-win situation for the Broncos. They have a legitimate talent at the position who could develop into a quality starter in Payton’s system, while reaping the benefits of more selections to build a better team around him. What’s not to like?

#51 Overall — Ruke Orhorhoro — Defensive Lineman — Clemson

With the trade down, the Broncos are able to work their way into the second round and gain a much-needed selection. After securing Nix in the first, the Broncos turn their focus to the defense to fortify their trenches on that side of the ball.

I think the value for the defensive front will be good in this area of the draft. I have them adding versatile lineman Ruke Orhorhoro out of Clemson into the fold at #51 overall. Capable of playing inside and out, Orhorhoro will see plenty of action as a rookie on the outside at end who can kick inside and offer pass rushing potential on third down. I believe he has the potential to be a very good player in the National Football League.

#76 Overall — Blake Fisher — Offensive Tackle — Notre Dame

The Broncos haven’t drafted an offense tackle in ages. I think the third round offers some interesting options for the Broncos who might be looking toward the future with Garett Bolles in the final year of his contract. While Joe Alt is certainly going to be a blue-chip tackle in the NFL, I was quite impressed with Fisher who manned the right side of the Fighting Irish’s offensive line after switching from left tackle early on in his career.

He is a really good run blocker who shows good athleticism (despite average testing) getting to the second level and creating blocks downfield. I think he has solid strength and the point of attack and generally fairs well in the passing game—but there is some footwork and technique that needs to clean up before he is ready to start.

It’s important to remember he is only 21 years old. I think he has a lot of untapped potential and could very well be one of the gems from this year’s draft class. Don’t forget that Payton has a history of investing a lot of picks to fortify the offensive line, so snagging Fisher in the early third round wouldn’t surprise me at all.

Day 3 Trade: The Broncos send #119 (via Steelers in predicted trade back) and #147 to the Carolina Panthers for #101.

#101 Overall — Javon Baker — Wide Receiver — UCF

During the Broncos’ pre-draft presser, General Manger George Paton said that there are times where Sean Payton has wanted to move up and go and get his guys. I’ll assume Marvin Mims was that guy in 2023. And quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if another wide receiver in this year’s strong class is someone Payton really likes. The Broncos are slated to have three picks early on in the fifth-round, so giving up one of them to get a player they love doesn’t seem like a big stretch.

He didn’t test great athletically, but UCF’s Javon Baker is one of the best route-runners in this class and someone who consistently wins on routes over the middle of the field. He has a penchant for big plays in big moments. I’d describe him as physical and fearless—two traits that rank highly for me. I love the fact that he can separate against press coverage and plays really well coming back to the ball.

The Broncos do have Courtland Sutton, the aforementioned Mims, Josh Reynolds, Tim Patrick, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Brandon Johnson at the position. However, if they end up drafting a Nix as predicted, getting another guy on a four-year contract seems like the right move.

#121 — Theo Johnson — Tight End — Penn State

Adam Trautman received a two-year contract extension this off-season and is the incumbent starter for the Broncos. However, Greg Dulcich hasn’t panned out as planned due to injury and Lucas Krull and Nate Adkins are the only other two options on the roster. Johnson tested incredibly and has the desired frame and athleticism for the position, but the production isn’t there. I know there are some that think he is a Top 100 selection, though I think he might be in for a little bit of a draft day slide.

#136 — Brennan Jackson — EDGE — Washington State

I have a feeling that the Broncos would like to address EDGE earlier than this, but Jackson in the fourth round is a nice consolation prize. He’s a high motor player who gives 100-percent effort every snap of every game. He is a strong run defender with great length who also racked up 14.5 sacks the past two years for the Cougars. He offers a bit of a different skillset than those in Denver’s room and at the very least should be a quality back up in the league for a long time.

#145 — Isaiah Davis — Running Back — South Dakota State

If the Broncos are looking to add to their running back room, South Dakota State standout Isaiah Davis would be a terrific option for them on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. He is a strong north-south runner with a knack for scoring touchdowns, breaking tackles, accumulating yards after contact and churning out first downs. He would be a great pick for the Broncos and give them a true three-down option in their backfield.

#207 — Dwight McGlothern, CB — Arkansas

McGlothern was one of the most productive cornerbacks on the ball in the SEC, but his pre-draft testing was abysmal which might cause him to tumble a bit on draft day. That being said, he makes plays on the ball (7 interceptions the past two years) and had one of the highest coverage grades amongst draft-eligible corners.

#256 — Jowon Briggs, DT — Cincinatti

The Broncos use their final selection of their draft to fortify the interior of their defensive line. Briggs is at his best occupying blockers and being a force against the run, but also has some decent pass rush potential. He will have a chance to compete for one of the last roster spots for the position group.

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Denver, CO

10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted

Published

8 hours ago

February 25, 2026

Press Room

10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted

Thornton police officers went door-to-door Wednesday afternoon to evacuate residents after a grass fire sparked near a high school, rapidly spreading and injuring five people, according to law enforcement.

The fire burned for more than two hours in Thornton before the city’s fire department announced the flames had been fully contained at 2:07 p.m. Wednesday. At that time, the fire had consumed roughly 10 acres, Thornton Fire Chief Stephen Kelley said in a news conference. Residents were allowed to return home shortly after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thornton Police Department said in an update.

Fire crews from across the Denver area responded to the fire at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Kelley said. By noon, heavy, black smoke blowing from the scene had shut down Interstate 25.

The fire chief estimated that between 100 and 150 firefighters from various agencies responded to the fire.

No homes were destroyed in the fire, which started on a greenbelt between a residential neighborhood and local businesses, Kelley said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation on Wednesday and damage to the businesses was still being evaluated, he said.

“It is our intent to get ahead of these fires so we don’t have the spread … experienced during the Marshall fire,” Kelley said. “I think we’re very fortunate today that we did not have an outcome similar.”

No fatalities or critical injuries from the fire were reported on Wednesday, Kelley said. Five people, including four firefighters, were injured in the fire but are expected to survive. Additional information on their injuries was not available.

A firefighter rakes smoldering wood chips in an outdoor exercise area where the Huron Fire burned on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, near West 84th Avenue and Huron Street in Thornton, Colo. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

High winds fueled the fire’s “rapid spread” as most of the Front Range and Eastern Plains remained under a red flag warning, Kelley said.

The warning, which will be in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday, covers parts of Larimer, Weld, Boulder, Jefferson, Broomfield, Douglas, Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Morgan, Elbert, Lincoln, Logan, Washington, Sedgwick and Phillips counties, according to the National Weather Service.

Up to 55 mph wind gusts and humidity values as low as 15% are forecast through Wednesday evening, forecasters said in the warning.

“These are conditions that we continue to face on a daily basis here on the Front Range,” Kelley said.

Interstate 25 was closed in both directions for more than an hour near the fire’s start for low visibility, a closure that steadily grew before it was fully lifted at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. During the closure’s peak, all lanes of I-25 were closed between Colorado 53/58th Avenue in North Washington and 104th Avenue in Thornton, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Cameras along I-25 in the area of the fire showed thick, black smoke drifting across the highway just after noon on Wednesday.

Pinnacle Charter High School and nearby businesses were evacuated and several roads around the fire — which sparked near the high school at West 84th Avenue and Huron Street — were closed, according to the Thornton Police Department.

Continued road closures are expected in the area as fire crews work to extinguish hotspots and ensure the flames don’t rekindle amid high winds, Kelley said. Crews will remain in the area overnight.

Grass fire that sparked near Pinnacle Charter High School, 8412 Huron Street in Thornton, on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. The fire prompted evacuations at the high school and nearby businesses and closed lanes of Interstate 25. (Courtesy of Thornton Fire Department via X.com)

The exact evacuation area is unknown, but police said it covered neighborhoods northeast of the fire. Information on the number of people and homes in the evacuation zone was not available.

Police established a formal evacuation shelter at the Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center, 11151 Colorado Blvd., after residents were initially directed to Water World.

Thousands of Xcel Energy customers remained without power in the area Wednesday afternoon, according to the utility’s outage map.

Outages included more than 3,000 customers in Jefferson County near Arvada and Westminster, 200 customers in Adams County near Sherrelwood and dozens of small outages in between, according to the utility.

Xcel Energy did not proactively de-energize power lines in the area, but utility officials were working with fire crews and were ready to shut down lines if needed, spokesperson Michelle Aguayo said.

A grass fire burning near 84th Avenue and Huron Street in Thornton forced evacuations of Pinnacle Charter High School and nearby businesses on Feb. 25, 2026. (Courtesy of the Thornton Police Department)

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Denver, CO

SAME Café eases stress of restaurant costs for Coloradans with

Published

20 hours ago

February 25, 2026

Press Room

SAME Café eases stress of restaurant costs for Coloradans with

Eating out can add up quickly, especially in today’s economy. One Denver organization is easing that expense, meal by meal. SAME, or “So All May Eat” Café, offers locally sourced, made-from-scratch meals every weekday. It meets you right where you are in your budget.

All you have to do is bring a little bit of your resources to the table: Volunteering half an hour of your time, pay whatever money you can, or donate fruits and vegetables. In exchange, you get delicious, fresh meals, like soup, pizza, a choice of salad, and dessert.

CBS

“The typical restaurant may not be accessible for most people. So, SAME really represents the dignity in how restaurants can operate. And it’s really special just for our neighbors to come here and have a space where they belong in community,” said Executive Director Carrie Shores.

That community is displayed in the visitors the café sees frequently.

“We have folks that eat here every single day, more than 50% of our guests. some of them are over the age of 60, so they’re retired. And maybe on a limited income.”

Shores says, no matter who you are, they’ll welcome you with open arms. Everybody is welcome.

“People come and maybe feel like they’re in an episode of ‘Cheers,’” she said with a smile.

In the same way that SAME gives to the community, you can help to support their services.

CBS Colorado’s Mekialaya White interviews SAME Café Executive Director Carrie Shores.

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CBS

“SAME Table is our annual fundraiser, on March 5th at Dry Clean Only, and it aims to be an event that is open to everybody,” said Shores, referring to the SAME Table celebration.

It features participating restaurants and chefs including Sap Sua, The Greenwich, Konjo Ethiopian, The Easy Vegan, Four Directions, and Champagne Tiger, alongside the talented SAME Café team. It is also a “pay-what-you-can” model.

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Denver, CO

Denver will end relationship with Flock as mayor announces new provider for license plate cameras

Published

1 day ago

February 24, 2026

Press Room

Denver will end relationship with Flock as mayor announces new provider for license plate cameras

Denver will end its contract with Flock Safety, the controversial provider of a network of license plate-reading cameras, and will propose a new deal with a competing company, Mayor Mike Johnston confirmed to The Denver Post.

After facing months of public criticism over the city’s relationship with Flock, the mayor’s office is proposing a new contract with Axon, which already provides other technology for the Denver Police Department.

Over the past year, hundreds of Denverites had criticized Johnston for repeatedly extending the city’s contract with Flock despite reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had used Flock’s database to aid in President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation campaign.

The company has also faced scrutiny of its nationwide camera system, which many critics is essentially a mass-surveillance network ripe for abuse.

“We feel like we heard from Denverites and we got feedback. And we have spent the last nine months listening to the community, working with City Council, working with privacy experts … and law enforcement on what people wanted from a system that would meet everyone’s concerns,” Johnson said in an exclusive interview with The Post.

When asked about his views on Flock, Johnston said he concerns had grown “over the course of the process” of working with the company and that, ultimately, it was “not the right fit.”

“It’s not whether I like them or dislike them. It’s a matter of whether they can deliver the service that we best need,” he said.

The proposed contract with Axon would have some differences with the one with Flock, he said. Axon doesn’t have a national database of any kind for local or federal law enforcement agencies to tap into. The new deal will also have a shorter retention policy for the photos the cameras snap — 21 days instead of 30 days under Flock.

“Axon has the single highest level of security protections,” Johnston said, while talking about all the companies that submitted bids. “It’s essentially the same standard used for storing people’s personal medical information.”

Axon will use the same database that it uses for Denver police officers’ body-worn camera footage, he said. The photos its new cameras will take will also focus only on vehicles and license plates, he said — not people’s faces. The company has also agreed not to give ICE access to the data.

“I understand there are some people who want no cameras at all,” he said. “The reality is, my job is both to protect civil liberties and to protect folks from crime and we have to find a middle ground on that.”

DPD used license plate data in about 40% of its homicide investigations last year and in about a third of the non-fatal shooting investigations, according to a city news release about the new contract. The cameras have also played a role in the recovery of more than 400 stolen cars.

Johnston said that in his conversations with residents, “very few to nearly none” of them said they didn’t want the city using cameras of any kind.

Denver also plans to stop sharing the camera data with any other police departments, Johnston said. Once the new system is in place, the city will begin inviting certain agencies in the surrounding area to use the data if they agree to set rules.

The city’s latest contract with Flock, which the mayor’s office unilaterally signed in October without council approval, will end March 31. The Axon contract, which will be for one year and cost $150,000, would begin immediately after.

While the new contract’s value will be below the $500,000 threshold that requires council approval, Johnston said his team would bring it through the council approval process anyway “to be extra transparent and extra collaborative.”

The council unanimously rejected a two-year contract with Flock last May, partly because the mayor’s office requested that it do so after hearing backlash from council members and the public. Johnston’s administration then twice extended the contract without council approval.

Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer supported the announcement in a statement included in the news release Tuesday.

“This technology makes a real difference in public safety,” she said. “I look forward to considering this contract with a fresh and fair assessment as it goes through the council process.”

Denver Auditor Tim O’Brien told city officials last week that he wouldn’t countersign the latest contract because, he said, it created a “risk of liability” for the city.

Under the latest extension, Johnston’s administration added new requirements to Flock’s contract that it said were intended to protect sensitive data.

The state legislature is now considering a bill that would block government agencies from using license plate data without a warrant.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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