CBS

● By Chris Trapasso
Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos are in the thick of the AFC wild-card race, and the first-round pick has done an admirable job operating Sean Payton's scheme as a rookie quarterback. But something's missing: a premier tight end talent scorching down the seam. Payton has made it clear, he wants to utilize a tight end in his offense -- Adam Trautman (51%), Nate Adkins (36.5%) and Lucas Krull (26.1%) have all played over 25% of the snaps in 2024, and while that trio has made some plays, it's only accounted for 40 total receptions entering Week 17. And we all remember how tremendous Jimmy Graham was with Payton and Drew Brees in New Orleans. That's what I have the Broncos targeting in this mock draft -- a supremely gifted tight end for Year 2 (and beyond) of the Nix era in Denver. it'd be an ideal way to round out the pass-catching contingent for the young quarterback in the Broncos offense. And Penn State's Tyler Warren will probably be ahead of Michigan's Colston Loveland on some team boards after the spectacular season he's had for the Nittany Lions. He enters the second round of the College Football Playoff with 92 receptions for 1,095 yards, and six touchdown as the No. 1 target for Drew Allar. He has NFL-ready skills galore and would be a go-to option for Nix in Denver instantly.

Top Players Not Included

These players appear in the top 32 of our

Consensus Big Board

, but do not show up in this mock.