The Denver Broncos came into the 2026 NFL Draft without a first-round pick, and actually ended up trading out of the second round entirely. With some of the least-valuable capital in the league, the Broncos still managed to get, just about, as good a class as the team could reasonably hope for.
Now, yes, there isn't any sort of guarantee that this year's rookie class pans out, and it's going to take multiple years before we can say for sure whether the Broncos got a good group or not. If nothing else, the team did seem to get good value across the board, especially on day three.
Landing players like Justin Joly, Dallen Bentley, and Red Murdock on the final day of the draft felt like massive steals, as all three could legitimately contribute this year, and obviously beyond. While it coul be an uphill battle for any of the rookies to see significant snaps, Denver's draft class does hide a name who could truly flip the depth chart upside down.
Denver Broncos Mr. Irrelevant could flip the depth chart at linebacker this offseason
ESPN's Jeff Legwold, talking about Red Murdock, also leans into the idea that this could be a legitimate player for the Broncos, despite being the last pick in the draft:
"My take: The Broncos waited until their last of seven picks -- and the last pick of the draft -- to address the need at inside linebacker. Murdock finished out his career at Buffalo with two plus-140-tackle seasons and 17 forced fumbles.
Murdock will compete for special teams snaps quickly, and if he dives into the playbook with success, he should compete for snaps on defense. He is a physical player at 233 pounds with an edge-rusher like 77 5/8-inch armspan."
In college, Murdock was simply all around the ball, all the time. The Broncos are clearly betting on this production to translate into the NFL in some capacity. He does have a physical element to him and can thrive near the line of scrimmage on run downs and perhaps as a blitzher.
Murdock isn't that notable in coverage, but that isn't something that he wouldn't see playing time for. There are a ton of competent, starting-caliber linebackers in the league right now who aren't great in coverage. Murdock brings a nose for the football and does have the archtype to be a future starter.
Another huge reason why he could push for snaps is due to the overall lack of talent in the room. The projected starting duo of Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are among the worst duos in the league, and it's mostly due to Singleton, who seemed downright unplayable at times in 2025.
The Broncos just have not invested notable resources into this room for years now, and that does include 2026. Even with Jonah Elliss soon gettng snaps at the position, it's not a guarantee that he emerges as anything.
And sure, while the Broncos did re-sign Singleton and Strnad, there's nothing written or set in stone now - just because both are under new contracts, doesn't mean both have to be starters for the team. In fact, financially, the Broncos could actually trade one of them after June 1st, for example.
That might be unlikely to happen, but it's possible financially, which is half the equation here. The Broncos may have struck gold with Murdock in the NFL Draft.
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