The Denver Broncos didn't have a first-round pick due to the trade for receiver Jaylen Waddle, and then traded out of the second round. They finally made a selection in the third round, before finishing with seven total picks.
While fans had to wait a little while on draft weekend, they still came away with some good players. The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner released an article discussing the best-value selections, based on 'The Beast' from Dane Brugler. In that piece, the Broncos had tight end Justin Joly and linebacker Red Murdock on the list.
And when you take a deep look at it, those two players made a ton of sense.
The Athletic had Denver Broncos with two great value selections from NFL Draft
To start things off with Joly, the Broncos drafted him with the 152nd overall pick in the fifth round. That was considered outstanding value, as Brugler had him as the 93rd overall prospect, giving him a third- or fourth-round grade.
Joly is an athletic pass catcher who will have a role within this offense in 2026. He has strong hands and can be a threat on all three levels. The New York native also gives a ton of effort as a blocker. In Brugler's takeaway about Joly, he wrote, "Joly is a versatile pass catcher, because of his athleticism, ball skills, and upside as a three-level threat. Built in the mold of Jonnu Smith, he is more Robin than Batman and ideally suited as a “move” tight end in a 12-personnel offense."
In 49 collegiate games, Joly had 166 catches for 1,978 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He's a player who will immediately have a role attacking the seam and help Denver have success out in 12 personnel.
Meanwhile, Murdock was Mr. Irrelevant, being the last pick of the 2026 draft. Despite that, Brugler gave him a 4th/5th round draft grade. During his time at the University at Buffalo, Murdock was a magnet for the football, consistently finding his way around the ball. Not only was he around the ball, but he created turnovers, forcing an FBS record 17 fumbles in his career. In 42 games with the Bulls, Murdock logged 364 total tackles, 39.5 TFLs, and nine sacks.
He's a defender who will make an impact on special teams but can also step in as a rotational linebacker in 2026. Even though the Broncos added Joly and Murdock in the 5th and 7th rounds, respectively, those were outstanding values and will have roles in Denver.
The Broncos roster is already uber talented, so the fact that they were able to land these terrific values is only a bonus to an organization with Super Bowl aspirations.
Add us as a preferred source on Google