The Broncos traded their first-round pick to the New England Patriots, moving them from 25th overall to 31st overall. The Broncos also picked up the Patriots' fourth-round pick (No. 126).
The Broncos then traded the 31st pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a second-round pick. The Broncos and Buccaneers also swapped fourth-round picks. The Broncos got the 101st pick and sent the 126th pick, which the team got from the Patriots, to the Buccaneers.
"Well we didn't get any better yet but we will tomorrow," Broncos Executive Vice President John Elway said. "We had some guys targeted that didn't quite make it to us at 25 so we had some opportunities to go back with New England to pick up a fourth and I thought that was great and then when we had a chance to move back from 31 to 36 with Tampa that again our board looked the same."
The Broncos now have eight picks in the 2012 NFL Draft. They have two in round two, one in round three, three in the 4th and one each in the 5th and 6th rounds.
"It's a little bit of a downer when you don't have a new player but we are excited about where we sit and the next two days are going to be exciting," Elway said. "Our board looks pretty much the same. Even with the picks after us, our board looks the same."
With the trades, the Broncos will pick fourth when the draft resumes on Friday.
"The exciting part is we'll be in the middle of the action tomorrow, early tomorrow, and then have that fourth, round and so we feel good about where we are," Elway said. "We worked so hard on the board and so we are going to stay true to the board. You know we grade everybody and we are going to stay true to that."
With the 25th overall pick, the Patriots selected Dont'a Hightower, a linebacker with the University of Alabama.
With the 31st pick the Buccaneers selected running back Doug Martin from Boise State University.
"The draft is deep and so there are a lot of good football players in the middle of this and so that's why we still feel like there are a lot of good football players on that board, and with the picks that we have, we are going to find them," Elway said.
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