C+
Denver Broncos
The Broncos did enough to get by: C+.
by Todd ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 0 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Eli Heidenreich at the Round 5 slot is 82 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline. The final tally is a middling C+.
The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. Linebacker is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Hit on Jacob Rodriguez and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.
Pick-by-Pick
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jacob Rodriguez. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Eli Stowers at slot 63 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
By-the-book stuff, Mike Washington Jr. at Round 3, Pick 11 squarely in line with his ranking. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Bryce Lance in the 94th pick is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Bud Clark in the 108th overall pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A tidy little value on Darrell Jackson Jr. in pick 111, a step better than break-even. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A reach on J.C. Davis in No. 130; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A big swing on Eli Heidenreich at Round 5, Pick 30, well ahead of any board in the building. It fills a real need, too.