AFC West · 2026 Draft Class

Denver Broncos 2026 NFL Draft Class

Every Broncos selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, the needs they entered the weekend with, and the trades that reshaped their board.

Compiled by the NFL Mock Draft Simulator research desk · Front office at the time: George Paton (GM), Sean Payton (HC)

The class

Denver Broncos made 7 selections in the 2026 draft, opening with Tyler Onyedim, a defensive tackle out of Texas A&M, at No. 66 overall.

The class skewed toward tight end, where they used 2 picks. In total they drafted 6 different positions.

Going into the weekend our board had their priority needs listed as Tight End, Defensive Tackle, Cornerback, Linebacker, Edge Rusher. They addressed 3 of their 5 pre-draft needs directly: Tight End, Defensive Tackle, Linebacker. Left unaddressed: Cornerback, Edge Rusher.

Their best value relative to the consensus board was Dallen Bentley at No. 256, 102 slots later than the industry board had him ranked (154).

Draft capital

Broncos draft capital broke down as 0 Day 1 picks, 1 on Day 2 and 6 on Day 3. 2 of those were compensatory selections, awarded for free-agency losses in the prior cycle. 4 were slots they did not own when the weekend began, acquired by trade. Entering Day 2 without a first-round pick changes the arithmetic considerably: a team in that position is buying volume rather than a single premium outcome.

Pick by pick

Every Broncos selection, with where it landed against our consensus board and against their own pre-draft needs list.

• Round 3, No. 66: Broncos moved on Tyler Onyedim on Day 2, 121 slots ahead of his board ranking, which is conviction rather than value. Defensive Tackle was their No. 2 listed need.
• Round 4, No. 108: Broncos took Jonah Coleman on Day 3, within 11 slots of his board ranking of 119. Running Back was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 4, No. 111: Broncos took Kage Casey on Day 3, within 3 slots of his board ranking of 108. Interior Offensive Line was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 5, No. 152: Broncos took Justin Joly on Day 3, a board-rank 101 player who waited 51 slots past his board ranking to get there. It was their single highest-priority need going in.
• Round 7, No. 246: Broncos used the pick on Miles Scott, ranked 317, the sort of dart every team throws on Saturday afternoon. Safety was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 7, No. 256: Broncos took Dallen Bentley on Day 3, a board-rank 154 player whom the rest of the league passed on across 102 slots of board value. It was their single highest-priority need going in.
• Round 7, No. 257: Broncos took Red Murdock on Day 3, a board-rank 228 player who waited 29 slots past his board ranking to get there.

Pre-draft needs

Our needs assessment for the Broncos going into the 2026 draft, ordered by priority. This is the list the class above is measured against.

Draft-day trades

• With Buffalo Bills: sent No. 62 (R2); received No. 66 (R3), No. 182 (R6).
• With Cleveland Browns: sent No. 170 (R5), No. 182 (R6); received No. 152 (R5).

Related

• Round 3 results: every other pick made around the Broncos' first selection.
• Position rankings for the groups they drafted: Defensive Tackle, Running Back, Interior Offensive Line, Tight End, Safety, Linebacker.
• The 2026 consensus big board: where every one of these players ranked before the draft.
• Every trade from the 2026 draft: the full ledger, including the Broncos' moves.
• Steals and reaches: which picks diverged most from the board, and what that gap means.
• The draft by the numbers: positional supply, school production and how draft capital was distributed.

More on the Broncos

The Denver Broncos franchise hub carries the current front office and needs, plus every other class we cover.