Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos have one of the most ridiculous streaks going of any team in the NFL. The Broncos have not drafted a single offensive tackle since they took Garett Bolles in the 1st round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
For an NFL team to approach a decade of not drafting any position, much less one of the most important position groups on a roster, is absolutely wild.
Somehow, the Broncos have managed to do more than get by, too. They boast one of the best offensive lines in all of football, and have done a good job of identifying talent through their pro scouting department and free agency strategy as well as finding gems like Frank Crum and Alex Palczewski after the NFL Draft. But their pre-draft prospect interest might be our clearest indicator yet that the team is finally going to end the ridiculous streak of nearly a decade.
Denver Broncos could end 9-year drought of drafting offensive tackles in 2026
The Broncos have hosted a number of players for one of their 30 allowed pre-draft prospect visits at the offensive tackle position, and all of them could be intriguing fits for the team at some point on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The latest name added to the list is UCF offensive tackle Paul Rubelt, a German-born prospect standing at a towering 6-foot-10 with nearly 36-inch arms.
#Broncos hosted UCF OT Paul Rubelt on a 30 visit recently, source said.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) April 7, 2026
Massive guy at 6-10 and 310 pounds. Frankfurt, Germany native played six years for the Knights. Experience starting at RT and LT.
Rubelt is a fascinating player for the Broncos to consider as a late-rounder, especially because they probably got a great report on him last year when they were scouting RJ Harvey in the pre-draft process. The 6-foot-10 guy opening up running lanes for the 5-foot-8 running back is hard to miss when you're grinding away at the tape, no doubt.
But Rubelt isn't the only offensive tackle prospect the Broncos have been in close contact with throughout this pre-draft process, either.
The Broncos reportedly scheduled an in-person meeting with Memphis offensive tackle Travis Burke (another massive 6-foot-9 prospect) at his pro day. The Broncos also got a face-to-face meeting with Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan, who will undoubtedly be a favorite of offensive line coach Zach Strief since Strief is a fellow Northwestern alumni himself.
The Broncos met formally at the Scouting Combine with Miami mauler Markel Bell. They have met with Penn State offensive tackle Drew Shelton. They brought in Boston College offensive tackle Jude Bowry for one of their 30 visits.
It remains to be seen how much the Jaylen Waddle trade will affect the team's ability to attack all of their remaining needs in one draft, but the amount of homework being done at this point on offensive tackles feels a bit more than usual. And that could lead to one of the wildest NFL Draft streaks in the league finally coming to a merciful end.
The irony is that, at least right now, the Broncos don't "need" an offensive lineman. They already have eight spots likely set in stone with Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Frank Crum, Alex Palczewski, and Alex Forsyth all under contract. They also got Matt Peart back on a reduced deal, Nick Gargiulo is coming off of injury, and veteran Calvin Throckmorton is back.
The motivation to take a tackle would undoubtedly be with the long-term future in mind. And getting a talented prospect in to work with Strief now might be the best long-term play.