The Denver Broncos might be receiving overwhelmingly positive grades in the instant aftermath of their 2026 NFL Draft class if it weren't for just one pick.
That pick also happens to be the first guy they selected: Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim.
Onyedim was considered a 3rd-4th round projection by NFL.com and was their 8th-ranked defensive lineman. He ranked 74th overall on Dane Brugler's big board and was the 7th-ranked defensive lineman in the class by him. Daniel Jeremiah had him ranked 87th on his final top 150 players. In other words, Onyedim wasn't exactly a "steal" at pick 66 overall, but he also wasn't exactly a terrible reach, either. Still, it appears as though the player the Broncos spent their most valuable draft capital on is the one pick dragging their grades down in the draft's aftermath.
FanSided draft expert Mike Luciano recently graded the Broncos' draft class a B-minus, and felt like Onyedim was actually the team's worst overall pick.
FanSided draft expert calls Tyler Onyedim the Broncos' worst pick in 2026
FanSided NFL Draft expert Mike Luciano gives his take on the Broncos draft class this year 👇👇👇
— Predominantly Orange (@PredomOrange) May 1, 2026
What do you think? Is he right? #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/XCpyVjwuzR
Luciano called this a "weird draft" for the Broncos, but also really liked what they did on Day 3. It seems like the Red Murdock pick is generating unanimously positive reviews, especially as the Mr. Irrelevant pick in this draft.
But Luciano feels like Onyedim would have been available in the 5th round and would have chosen a different defensive tackle or a tight end if he were running the team.
And it's possible that the Broncos would have taken a tight end had either Eli Stowers or Max Klare been on the board, but they were each taken shortly before Denver's initial pick slot (62) by the Eagles and Rams, respectively.
It's fair to be critical of the Onyedim pick. If the Broncos had a couple of picks before him, perhaps he'd be getting perceived differently, but he has the distinction of being the team's top pick in this draft, so that pick value is getting assessed accordingly. The Broncos, to their credit, did trade back from the 62nd pick before taking Onyedim.
They got an extra selection from the Bills that was later used to move up for tight end Justin Joly, another fantastic value for the team on Day 3.
For now, nobody's going to be crowning Tyler Onyedim as the steal of the draft, but if he's the worst pick the Broncos made, you have to feel pretty good about the class overall. While Onyedim may lack a true standout trait, he fits what the Broncos like to do on the defensive front, he he's address the key loss of John Franklin-Myers, and he's ready to play right away.
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