ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos opened Day 3 of the NFL draft with a move to select a teammate of quarterback Bo Nix, who was their first-round pick Thursday night.

The Broncos, who traded five draft picks and three players to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022, dialed up the Seahawks again Saturday morning. Denver moved up from No. 121 overall to No. 102 — the second pick of Day 3 — to select Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin.

The Broncos also sent a fifth-round pick (No. 136 overall) and a sixth-round pick (No. 207) to the Seahawks and received a seventh-round pick (No. 235) in addition to the pick they used for Franklin.

With the trade of Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns, Franklin’s speed is needed in the Broncos’ offense. Franklin was one of the fastest receivers at the scouting combine this year with a 4.41 time in the 40-yard dash, and the Broncos’ expectation is that he should quickly threaten defenses in the intermediate and deep parts of the field.

A quality route runner, Franklin was a favorite target of Nix, with the wideout setting Oregon single-season records last season in receiving yards (1,383), receiving touchdowns (14) and 100-yard receiving games (eight). Each of those totals were more than Franklin’s first two seasons combined.

The Broncos made Nix the sixth quarterback off the board Thursday night when they selected him No. 12 overall. Nix played two seasons with Franklin and the Broncos got an up-close look at how they worked together when Franklin was one of the receivers for Nix at their private pre-draft workout for the quarterback.

Denver hasn’t officially said Nix will compete for the starting job as a rookie, but coach Sean Payton said Thursday night: “We have to maximize the [practice] reps that we have and let them develop, and that stuff will sort itself out.”

Nix is part of a quarterback room that includes Zach Wilson, whom Denver acquired in a trade this week, and Jarrett Stidham, who started the final two games of the 2023 season after Payton benched Russell Wilson.

With the 76th overall pick the Broncos drafted Utah EDGE Jonah Elliss, who is going to provide a great deal of athleticism when it comes to the pass rush and should make for a fine addition to this Broncos unit. The front office apparently looked highly upon Elliss as they would’ve moved down in the draft if it wasn’t for him.

And while the Broncos already have a room full of young EDGE rushers, many, including Sean Payton, felt like it was a position that they needed to improve at.

One main concern that was circulating around Elliss was his injury history. Elliss tore his shoulder labrum late last season and prevented him from the Combine and from initial Pro Day workouts. He was able to have a personal Pro Day session and was medically cleared thought. And while a labrum injury can take 6 months, it seems like Elliss will be plenty recovered and ready for camp.

Paton had this to day about Elliss’ injury:

Sean Payton also added:

We met on it. You go through the process… he’s above the board.

Payton also went on to say:

He’s an EDGE player that plays with energy, effort, all those things that you look for.

He also touched on the character that Elliss has and complimented his football make-up.

It’s clear that the Broncos got the player that they wanted with their third-round pick and were anticipating the chance to draft Elliss. Elliss is a versatile rusher and played out of eight different alignments last season with Utah. He’ll have a role on this Denver defense and, from the press conference, it seems like Payton has an idea of where Elliss will start, but he’s also keen on moving him around defensively.

Here’s the longer clip with Sean Payton and George Paton where these quotes came from:

Almost anything in football can be viewed in relation to the quarterback.

The premium positions beside the guy under center? Those who can protect him, impact him or make plays in the passing game for him.

When you’ve got a rookie like the Broncos do after taking Oregon’s Bo Nix in the first round Thursday night, that emphasis only grows.

“The (rookie quarterback) challenge is exciting, but it’s still, you want good quarterback play,” Payton said Thursday night. “The two biggest allies to that, I believe strongly, are good defensive play and a running game. In other words, if you are a quarterback and you’re having trouble running the ball — or let’s get worse — if you’re a quarterback and you’re having trouble running the ball or stopping people, your job description becomes very difficult.

“When you’re playing good defense and you have a running game, your job description is a little bit more palatable.”

With needs across the board, then, the Broncos set about working on the defensive side of the ball with their lone Day 2 selection, drafting Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss with the No. 76 overall pick.

Elliss has backfield production that rivals anybody in the class. He’s on the smaller side at 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, but that didn’t stop him from racking up 12 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in just 10 games his final season playing for a rugged Utes defense led by longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham.

“My effort is elite when it comes to the game. I think that’s just how I was raised,” said Elliss, whose father, Luther, finished his playing career with the Broncos in 2004 and later served as the team’s chaplain, including for the 2015 Super Bowl 50 championship team. “I’m a great pass-rusher and I bring that to a team, as well. Where I need to grow is just perfecting the little things, the little techniques, especially in my run fits.”

The Broncos defense had bright moments in 2023, particularly during a turnover binge-fueled five-game winning streak, but overall languished near the bottom of the league. Among ESPN’s team win-rate stats, Denver finished 30th in pass rush and 28th in stopping the run.

They’re hoping Elliss can join a group of young pass-rushers to improve those marks.

Ideally, teams in the NFL are drafting not to plug current gaps but with eyes on the future. Elliss joins a group of edge rushers the Broncos like in Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and potentially Drew Sanders. Still, Browning and Cooper are entering the final years of their rookie contracts and as such it is easy to see Elliss as both a complementary piece as soon as he’s ready and also a potential replacement or supplement beginning in 2025.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Elliss said he patterns his game after Hassan Reddick, who blossomed into a difference-maker in Arizona under now-Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

“We have a similar stature and we kind of use the same moves,” Elliss said. “He’s really a speed guy and that’s what I’m trying to be, too. I watched his film a lot during the offseason going into my junior year.”

Now Denver goes into a busy third day of the draft having simultaneously hit on two positions of need while also showing restraint uncommon of Payton teams. The Broncos used each of their first two picks at their assigned slots and now have six Saturday selections.

In many ways, the start of the draft is similar to how the Broncos have operated this offseason. They’ve spent modestly. They’ve exercised patience more often than aggression. They’ve kept an eye on the future while plugging holes in the present. Now they’ll have a chance to add several low-budget players to the roster in a portion of the draft where the talent is expected to drop off but where gems can still be identified.

Denver has No. 121 in the fourth round and then three of the first 12 picks in the fifth round (Nos. 136, 145 and 147).

The quarterback was the fun part. These are the days that help determine how well-built the support system around him is.

EDGE Jonah Elliss

Round/pick: 3rd/No. 76

Age: 21

Height/weight: 6-foot-2/248 pounds

College: Utah

Hometown: Moscow, Idaho

Notable: Elliss comes from a football family. His father, Luther, was a two-time Pro Bowler who played nine seasons for the Detroit Lions and one with the Broncos. His brothers, Kaden, Christian and Noah, currently play in the NFL. In 2023, he collected 37 tackles (16 for loss), 12 sacks and three passes defended in 10 games before missing the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury that kept him from working out at the NFL scouting combine in February.

Quotable: Elliss on his dad’s time with the Broncos: “He still talks about how great of a culture and what a great fanbase they have out there. Honestly, the culture is something he mentions a lot and how it’s just a really good bond out there.”

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