Aug. 25, 2026, 5:01 a.m. MT
Trading in the NFL is a complicated practice. It’s hard enough to do it in your fantasy football league, so just imagine what an NFL general manager goes through as players’ values change constantly. The Denver Broncos have what many feel is the most loaded roster in the league, or at least one of them. Earlier this summer, Bill Barnwell of ESPN looked at the rosters of all 32 NFL teams and chose which players he felt could fetch a first-round pick if traded.
This is all for fun, of course, as the Broncos presumably aren’t considering trading any of these players this season, but it does give a better idea of the overall level of talent they have. Which Broncos players have a first-round trade value? Pat Surtain II is the only player on the roster Barnwell feels is worth more than one first-round pick, and that is accurate, especially after the New York Jets got multiple first-rounders for trading Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts last season. Surtain is the best corner in the league and having him frequently shut down one side of the field would be huge for any team. Players said to be worth a first-round pick plus more are Bo Nix, Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen. Bonitto has become one of the league’s best pass rushers and his 27.5 sacks over the last two seasons are proof of that. A top-tier edge rusher is among the biggest things an NFL team can have these days, so the Broncos could easily get that for him.
Nix would not be traded for any less than two first-round picks at this stage in his career. Whether the overall consensus feels this way or not, Nix is one of the best young options at the quarterback position in today’s game. Barnwell has Jaylen Waddle and Quinn Meinerz right at the first-round pick price tag. The Broncos paid basically the equivalent of a late-round pick to get Waddle this offseason. Finally, Barnwell feels that Garett Bolles would not net a first-round pick in a trade due to his age (34). “I was glad to see the wildly underrated Bolles earn a first-team All-Pro spot for the first time last season,” Barnwell wrote for ESPN. “But at 34, Bolles is one of several veteran tackles who wouldn’t be able to command a first-round pick in a trade strictly because of his age.”
Bolles is likely to finish out his career as a member of the Broncos and go down as one of the best offensive tackles in franchise history.
