The Broncos have 48 days until they’re on the clock in the NFL draft. And sitting at No. 9 with several needs on both offense and defense, Denver is one of the more intriguing teams in the draft’s top 10. The Broncos could go a number of different ways. 

The clear front-runner in most mock drafts around the league is Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley, who both ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah have the Broncos taking in the first round. But a few others have the Broncos going with Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. And a small few have them even taking North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, who general manager George Paton and other Broncos staff members are watching Friday at NDSU’s Pro Day. 

So, which of those three makes the most sense for the Broncos at No. 9? 

1. Cornerback

Taking a corner in the first round certainly makes the most sense, according to most draft experts. It’s also something new GM George Paton has experience with, as the Vikings have taken seven defensive backs in the first two rounds since 2010, when Paton worked as GM Rick Spielman’s right-hand man.

Farley and Surtain appear to be 1A and 1B when it comes to the top corners in this draft class, and either would be considered a safe and solid selection. 

“I gave them both the same grade. I ended up with Farley over Surtain,” said Daniel Jeremiah, who used to be a scout for the Ravens, Browns and Eagles from 2005-2012. “I thought Farley from Virginia Tech was just a little better in short area quickness. When you have to match up with some of the smaller guys I thought he was just a little more dynamic in those short areas. Both guys are really good in press. Both guys can really find and play the football down the field. For Surtain at Alabama, you saw him go up against tremendous competition throughout his career. He’s really been tested and he’s played at a very high level.

“I know there’s some teams that have that order flipped, that have Surtain over Farley. I think it’s a good debate, and I think at the end of the day, you’re going to be happy with either one of these kids because of the size, speed, toughness and ability to play the ball they both have.”

Either one would likely start for coach Vic Fangio next season. And unlike most defensive coaches, Fangio doesn’t have a specific preference when it comes to the type of corner he wants playing in his scheme. But with Farley and Surtain listed at 6-foot-2 and just over 200 pounds, both fit the mold of a prototypical starting cornerback in the NFL. 

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“Corners come in all shapes, sizes and styles. I think if you pigeonhole yourself into only wanting a certain type of corner, whether it be size, certain speed, etc., you’re going to end up finding yourself without enough corners that can play in the NFL,” Fangio said March 4.

“The corner position — because you play so much nickel, the math will tell you there’s 96 starting corners in the NFL. I don’t think there’s enough to go around for the entire league. If you pigeonhole yourself into a certain prototype or characteristic that you want, you won’t have enough time to find them in time. We’re looking for good players at corner, realizing that they come in all shapes and sizes.

“Bryce Callahan was probably our best corner last year. We really had him planned to play nickel a good bit of that time but was forced to play corner. He’s 5-9 and everybody would like a 6-foot corner. I just like corners that can play a bit.”

2. Linebacker

Paton said defense will be a top priority in the draft, saying that if “you look at the good defenses around the league, teams can rush the quarterback and teams can cover.” So if it’s not corner at No. 9, maybe it’s an elite edge rusher or linebacker, like Penn State’s Micah Parsons. Paton, again, has done this before when the Vikings took linebacker Anthony Barr at No. 9 in the 2014 draft. 

With the ability to play both outside and inside linebacker, combined with the uncertain futures of outside linebacker Von Miller and inside linebacker Alexander Johnson, taking Parsons would make a lot of sense. 

“It would be fun to watch what Vic could do with Micah Parsons out of Penn State just because he can do so many different things and Vic could be creative with him,” Jeremiah said. “His ability to — just really week to week you could change his role and how you want to use him. I think he’s got a chance to be a really good rusher, too, if you even just wanted to cut him loose and let him do some of that stuff. That would be one that would be kind of interesting there.”

3. Quarterback

Both Kiper and Jeremiah don’t think the Broncos will take a quarterback in the draft, with Kiper saying “I don’t think a rookie quarterback is the way to go.” Paton and the Vikings took a quarterback in the first round only twice when he was there — Christian Ponder at No. 12 in 2011 and Teddy Bridgewater at No. 32 in 2014. Neither lasted in Minnesota for more than four years. 

But maybe Lance is someone the Broncos want to take a risk on. And some believe he has a lot of upside. Jeremiah went as far as to compare him to the late Steve McNair. 

“I was around McNair late in his career with the Ravens and just the physicality that (Lance) plays with, the toughness — he’s got a little room to grow in terms of just pure accuracy,” Jeremiah said. “I was around Steve towards the end of his career, but when you watch him when he was younger, too, you’ll see him run and you’ll see him — he’ll get hit by a linebacker at the 4-yard line and find his way into the end zone, and you see the same thing with Trey Lance. Both guys came from a lower level of competition, both guys were dominant at that level.” 

The Broncos could also be interested in some of the other top quarterbacks such as Ohio State’s Justin Fields, BYU’s Zach Wilson and Alabama’s Mac Jones, though, they would have to likely move up in the draft if they wanted to land any of them, including Lance. 

Jeremiah later added he thinks Lance will either end up going eighth to the Panthers, 12th to the 49ers or 19th to the Washington Football Team. He also said New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold might be someone the Broncos, as well as the Panthers and 49ers, trade for if they want to instead bring in a quarterback with a little more experience to compete with Drew Lock, who the Broncos have expressed confidence in. 

“When you look at the teams picking 8, 9, and 12, when you look at Carolina, you look at Denver, you look at San Francisco,” Jeremiah said, “I think all three of those teams could make sense as trade partners for Sam Darnold if they decided to go that route.”