D-
Denver Broncos
The Broncos lost the trade table, and the D- tells the story.
by Todd ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 4 reaches
When the story of this class is written, it opens with VJ Payne at pick 160, a reach of 36 spots that the board flatly disagrees with. The process wobbled, and the D- is where it lands.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. Getting Stowers where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even.
Pick-by-Pick
Jacob Rodriguez in pick No. 43 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Jadarian Price in the 65th pick, and that is fine. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Eli Stowers at the 87th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Drew Shelton at slot 90 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
DeMonte Capehart in pick 108 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Julian Neal in the Round 4 slot is fair value, right on his grade. A minor itch, scratched.
They reached into another round for VJ Payne, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
No drama and no debate, Jeff Caldwell went about where he belonged in the 183rd pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They talked themselves into Adam Randall at pick No. 255, and the board did not agree. It patches a soft spot without any drama.