B
Denver Broncos
The Broncos turned the phones into found money: B.
by Todd ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 reaches
The war room fell hard for Kaelon Black, and it showed at the 170th overall pick: 56 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Payton.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
Fair-plus on Eli Stowers, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Darrell Jackson Jr. in the 108th pick is fair value, right on his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They liked Taurean York enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 109. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They did well to land Bud Clark in slot 111, just ahead of his grade. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Kage Casey in pick No. 143 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Kaelon Black at Round 5, Pick 30 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
By-the-book stuff, Kaleb Elarms-Orr at the Round 6 slot squarely in line with his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value with a capital V on Cole Payton in slot 217, a genuine coup. It fills a real need, too.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Eli Heidenreich. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.