The Denver Broncos did not have a first-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft and would eventually trade out of the second round as well. What the Broncos did do, however, was dominate the final four rounds of the draft and find a great deal of interesting talent to bring in. Denver has been one of the better teams in the league at bringing in talent outside of the first round, and general manager George Paton might have done it again this year.
Denver ended up having seven selections over the final two days of the draft, three of which were used on defensive players. Interestingly enough, and likely more coincidentally, the Broncos bookended their draft selections with defenders, using the final pick in the draft on inside linebacker Red Murdock. Overall, the Broncos made it clear: they know they need to prepare their next generation of contributors with several key players entering contract years.
More so than other positions, the Broncos are going to need to find new contributors on the defensive line. John Franklin-Myers, who has been a major piece to the Broncos' historic and relentless pass rush over the past two years, was not extended by the Broncos and subsequently left in free agency. The Broncos knew that they needed to replace at least a good deal of his production in the draft, and Paton seems to believe he might have found a new source of all of it with his first pick in the draft.
George Paton just proved exactly why the Denver Broncos took Tyler Oneydim with the 66th overall pick
In a recent sitdown with 9News' Broncos reporter Mike Klis, Paton was almost immediately asked about Tyler Oneydim and what the Broncos' expectations are for him. Paton's explanation is exactly what Broncos fans want to hear, and gives an incredible amount of hope towards what the rookie can contribute this year:
"One of the reasons we’ve played such good defense is the depth of our defensive line,’’ Paton said. “We lost JFM (John Franklin-Myers) and so [Onyedim] adds to the group. And he really fits in. He reminds me of the guys we have. (Malcolm) Roach, (Zach) Allen – athletic, get up the field. Strong in the run game. We think he’s going to keep getting better.”
If the Broncos truly believe that Oneydim is able to replace the value that JFM provided to their defense, then he is going to provide incredible value as a third-round selection. JFM was an incredibly important run blocker for the Broncos, and provided a second wave of pass rush depth that helped the Broncos lead the league in sacks the past two years.
Franklin-Myers departed for the Tennessee Titans earlier in the winter, and the Broncos did not make any moves in free agency to immediately replace his lost production. The Broncos have other internal candidates to replace his production on the defensive line, such as Eyioma Uwazurike, but Oneydim clearly has a big fan in Paton, and that could be enough to see him as an early favorite for the JFM snaps.
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