B
Denver Broncos
The Broncos won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B.
by Rhodes ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Broncos came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Roush. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
The Willis pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 18 they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Sam Roush slid further than he should have, and slot 108 is lovely value for the tight end. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Value with a capital V on Bryce Lance in the Round 4 slot, a genuine coup. The roster fit checks out.
Beau Stephens in the 163rd pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A slide stopped in Round 5, Pick 30, with Zxavian Harris worth more than the price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had Noah Whittington higher than pick 246, and the running back fell to them anyway. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 256 with a little surplus value in Eli Heidenreich. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reach on Carver Willis in the 257th overall pick; the board had better options right there. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.