The Denver Broncos have their franchise quarterback of the present and future in Bo Nix. They also have two other quarterbacks under contract in Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger. So why would they be considering drafting another quarterback in 2026?
Sean Payton recently revealed that there will be a competition for the #2 quarterback job in Denver, and he said that it is the same as last year, where nothing is etched in stone. Of course, we don't get to see every rep of every practice, but it's hard to remember a time when Ehlinger got any 2nd-team reps over Stidham.
If the Broncos feel like Ehlinger can be their QB2 and they can save money by trading Jarrett Stidham (while also adding a draft pick), then perhaps a rookie quarterback could enter the picture as the team's QB3. So which quarterbacks could be considered, even if it's as a fourth quarterback for the offseason program?
Denver Broncos have intriguing QB options late in the 2026 NFL Draft
1. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers
The Broncos have already shown some pre-draft interest in Kaliakmanis, who did a Zoom interview conducted by new quarterbacks coach Logan Kilgore. And with a late 7th-round selection, the Broncos could be getting a quarterback with 40-plus starts against Big Ten competition over the last four seasons.
Kaliakmanis has a strong arm and made a lot of strides the past two seasons after transferring from Minnesota to Rutgers. His most substantial improvements came this past year as he learned how to hone in his arm talent a little bit. His completion rate jumped up from 53.9 percent in 2024 to 62.2 percent in 2025.
He might have the developmental traits the Broncos are looking for at the position.
2. Mark Gronowski, Iowa
We're sticking with the Big Ten quarterback theme here, this time taking a look at Iowa's Mark Gronowski. Gronowski might be more of a free agent type than even a 7th-round pick, but as an undrafted player, he'd be intriguing.
Mark Gronowski is a QB prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.59 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 46 out of 1111 QB from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/xinQb1jqcT pic.twitter.com/p98HWD5PCk
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 1, 2026
The athletic traits are pretty interesting with Gronowski, a dual-threat who started off his collegiate career at South Dakota State before transferring to Iowa. He's also got roots in Naperville, Illinois, so perhaps he and Sean Payton would bond over that.
Gronowski is already 24 going on 25, so he's going to be an older rookie coming in, but he has the type of physical traits that can really help give your defense a good look on scout team. I'm not sure he's athletic enough to be a Taysom Hill type, but as a 3rd or 4th QB, he's got a lot to work with.
3. Jack Strand, MSU Moorhead
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Jack Strand is one of the most intriguing late-round sleepers at quarterback in this year's class. Playing at a lower level, he's obviously going to have to make a huge leap in the NFL, but the Broncos have also already met with him.
He threw for 3,546 yards last season with 42 touchdowns, and draft experts who have already done deep dives on his skill set like his arm talent, mobility, and ability to change arm slots however needed.
The Broncos should feel good about the infrastructure for QB development they have in place, and Strand's combination of size and arm talent would be fun inclusions in the mix going forward.