The Denver Broncos might have used top picks in back-to-back drafts on Texas Longhorns prospects if it weren't for the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans leaped up to the 60th overall pick, just two spots ahead of where the Denver Broncos were initially slated to pick first in the 2026 NFL Draft, and scooped up falling linebacker prospect Anthony Hill Jr., one of the best players at a loaded position group in this class. The Titans moved up 9 spots from the 69th overall pick to get Hill, and gave up a 5th-round pick to do it.
Titans GM Mike Borgonzi didn't specify that the Broncos were the team he felt he needed to get past (the Rams were also ahead of the Broncos), but the fact that he moved right in front of Denver says all you need to know, at least about what the Titans were thinking.
Denver Broncos may have had Anthony Hill Jr. stolen from them by the Titans
To be fair, it wasn't like the Broncos gave off the impression that they were desperate to have Hill on their roster, either. They could have seemingly jumped up a handful of spots if he was one of the six guys they were comfortable taking with the 62nd pick, but they didn't do that.
Still, it's not hard to imagine a world in which the Broncos took Hill with the 62nd overall pick had he fallen to that spot, which the Titans made sure didn't happen.
Hill was considered almost a unanimous 1st-round player after the 2024 season at Texas where he racked up 113 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles. His production understandably dipped in 2025 as he missed some time due to injury, and a number of other factors contributed to his fall to the 2nd round despite elite athletic traits and his 2024 production.
He had plenty of missed tackles in his 2024 season, there was a streaky element to his play, and didn't play any special teams at Texas. Still, you're drafting the traits and the potential that he can put it all together as a full-time starter.
The Titans were well aware of the Broncos' situation at linebacker, and the fact that the linebacker position could be one of Denver's top priorities in this draft.
After the Titans moved into the 60th slot to take Hill, the Broncos moved back a handful of picks with the Buffalo Bills and out of the 2nd round entirely. And that move only fuels speculation that Hill might have been the preferred target. Either that, or Ohio State tight end Max Klare, who went 61st overall to the Rams.
Again, the Broncos certainly didn't give off a disappointed vibe after winding up with Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, nor did they attempt to move up if they felt like their six targets were about to all vanish into thin air.
It's possible that the back-to-back picks of Hill and Klare by the Titans and Rams completely threw the Broncos for a loop. It's also possible that those two guys were in a slightly higher tier of players at 62 for Denver than Onyedim, which is why they were willing to trade down and take him instead of just taking him at 62.
But if Anthony Hill Jr. becomes a star, Broncos fans will remember this moment.
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