The 2025-26 season is officially over for the Denver Broncos as they lost in the AFC Championship game on Sunday, January 25th, against the New England Patriots by a 7-10 score. The Patriots will now face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium.
With the season coming to an end for the Denver Broncos, it is now time to turn the page and start focusing on the offseason. Free agency is closer, and then comes the NFL Draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, starting on April 23rd until the 25th.
Speaking of the draft, following the NFC Championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, two of the final four selections are officially set.
The 2026 Denver Broncos first-round Draft spot is officially set following playoffs loss against the Patriots
Due to Denver having a lower strength of schedule, their draft selection will be higher compared to the Los Angeles Rams. The Broncos will officially have the 30th overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, while the Rams will have the 29th. This is their lowest selection since 2016.
In 2016, despite winning Super Bowl 50, the Denver Broncos had the 31st overall pick as the Patriots were forced to forfeit their pick, which led to the first round having thirty-one selections. Denver ended up trading that pick to move up and select quarterback Paxton Lynch.
This will be the third time in franchise history selecting at the 30th pick in the first round of the Draft. The first time the Broncos had this pick was back in 1998, when they selected Marcus Nash, a wide receiver from Tennessee. Nash had a short NFL career and only had 76 receiving yards for Denver, with no touchdowns. They also had the 30th pick in 1991 and selected tight end Reggie Johnson.
There are interesting names of players who have been selected 30th overall in NFL history. The last one was CB Maxwell Hairston, who was picked by the Buffalo Bills in 2025. Besides Hairston, the list of players selected at this spot includes Nolan Smith, George Karlaftis, TJ Watt, Heath Miller, and includes Reggie Wayne among others.
The previous five Denver Broncos' first-round selections include CB Jahdae Barron in 2025, QB Bo Nix in 2024, CB Patrick Surtain II in 2021, WR Jerry Jeudy in 2020, and TE Noah Fant in 2019.
It will be interesting to see what general manager George Paton and the front office decide to do with this pick. I would not be surprised if they use it to trade for an offensive playmaker for quarterback Bo Nix.