The Denver Broncos had the Mr. Irrelevant selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is the name of the final pick of the entire draft. It's a bit of a funny schtick now that people like to get into, but there have been some neat last picks.
Brock Purdy is the most obvious one, so it's not like these seventh-rounders can't make an impact on an NFL roster. Funnily enough, the Broncos had three picks across the final few minutes of the draft, selecting at 246, 256, and 257.
At pick 256, the Broncos took Utah tight end Dallen Bentley, a player who could develop into a true two-phase player as a blocker and a receiver, perhaps being the type of tight end that the Broncos have been missing. And with the last pick, Denver snagged Red Murdock, a linebacker from Buffalo. As ironic as it seems, the Mr. Irrelevant pick for Denver just so happened to be the team's most relevant roster need.
Denver Broncos take linebacker Red Murdock with the Mr. Irrelevant pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
Folks, this player isn't just some random dart throw. Murdock is legit:
The #Broncos selected #Buffalo LB Red Murdock with the 257th pick
— Andy (@AndyyNFL) April 25, 2026
One of the better Mr. Irrelevant picks in memory. Super productive All-American LB that could be a day 1 impact player. Was a Top-150 prospect for me. pic.twitter.com/Y77TT4vTMX
Turning 23 right around when the regular season begins, Murdock is a shade under 6-2 and weighs 232lbs, so he's got solid enough size for the position. His NFL.com draft profile write up by Lance Zierlein is also quite encouraging:
"Inside linebacker with a nose for the football and loads of production to prove it. Murdock plays firm at the contact point with physicality and toughness. He’s ready for battle when the ball comes downhill, but he lacks the closing burst to stay ahead of blocking schemes and shut down the outside run before it turns the corner. He’s a consistent tackler with good stopping power when he’s in position. His coverage features too many mistakes and a lack of recovery talent. Murdock lacks speed and third-down value, but he’s tough, makes plays and appears suited for core special-teams duties."
Murdock appears to be a lot stronger as a run defender than as a coverage player, which is fine. The Broncos may simply try to develop this element in his game or simply ask him to not drop into coverage and instead play to his strengths.
In 2025, Murdock had six forced fumbles, 142 total tackles, and 13.5 tackles for loss, so he's filling up the stat sheet quite nicely, and ended up graduating back in 2024, Magna Cum Laude, with a degree in psychology. Murdock has a long history of production in college and was someone who was projected to go a bit earlier than this.
Alongside Jonah Elliss, who could end up moving to the inside linebacker spot full-time, the Broncos may have just ushered in a new, young era at the position, as Murdock should be good enough to come in and make the roster as a third or fourth linebacker.
Add us as a preferred source on Google