The 2026 Denver Broncos became the first team to ever close the NFL Draft with consecutive picks, meaning the Broncos held the final two selections on the board. The team desperately needed to address the inside linebacker group for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, and general manager George Paton did just that, but waited as long as possible to do so.
To address the position, the Broncos made three moves to kick off the free agency period: they cut Dre Greenlaw and brought back both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. Denver decided to bring back the two players who have been with the Broncos for a considerable amount of time already, doubling down and committing further to Joseph's system.
The team switched Jonah Elliss from edge rusher to inside linebacker to provide more depth at the position, but it also might signal an impending youth movement at the position. Both Singleton and Strnad will be over 30 at the start of the season, and Singleton has now come back from an ACL tear and a cancer diagnosis. Neither player is the long-term future at the position for the Broncos, and it is clear now that the Broncos know that.
With the future coming sooner than later, it was time for the Broncos to address inside linebacker in the draft...and they almost took no one until the final pick of the entire draft. Now, some believe that the Broncos might have hit a home run with their newest addition to the room.
ESPN tabbed Denver Broncos' Mr. Irrelevant as a top-100 value pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
ESPN looked into the 100 best value selections in the 2026 NFL Draft and named a few Broncos picks. Among the Broncos draftees named, inside linebacker Red Murdock came in as the 75th most valuable selection in the draft, which is pretty incredible for the final selection in the draft. Murdock is not exactly seen as a talent fitting for the final overall selection, which could factor into the love for the pick. On Murdock, ESPN's Matt Miller wrote:
The last pick of the draft, Murdock was a 90-point value on the board and fills Denver's need for more depth at linebacker. Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are entrenched as starters, but Murdock has real value as a third linebacker. And with the two starters deep into their careers -- Singleton is 32 and Strnad is 29 -- there's room for Murdock to eventually become a starter.
If the Broncos were somehow able to find one of their two future starting inside linebackers with the final pick in the draft, a statue of Paton might be in store. Murdock is known as a tackling machine and should fit well into a Broncos system that likes to have linebackers flying across the field. Being fourth on the depth chart should give him time to develop in Joseph's system, and he might even be able to sit for two years, considering Elliss's presence on the roster.
Time will tell what kind of player Murdock becomes, but there is plenty of reason to be excited about his future contributions to the Broncos. If he ends up being a starter for them, his selection might end up the best value pick in the draft.
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