The Denver Broncos managed to address all of their urgent roster needs in the 2026 NFL Draft, despite not having a pick in the first round, and also trading out of the second round. It wasn't a mystery that the Broncos not only had some of the least-valuable capital in the NFL, but that the roster was among the best in the league.
It was going to be quite a challenge for the team to find rookies who could come in and contribute immediately given how strong the group is, but Denver did seem to manage to figure that out, especially with one of their newest players on offense.
In fact, when you look at the fit with running back Jonah Coleman on the offense, and read what his former running back coach had to say, it'll be impossible to not be excited.
Denver Broncos' Jonah Coleman could not be a better fit for the team
From Chris Tomasson in The Denver Gazette, Washington's running backs coach, Scottie Graham, heaped on the praise for Coleman and even knew that he'd end up in Denver:
“I told him he probably was going to Denver,’’ the Huskies running backs coach told The Denver Gazette. “That’s where he got that from.”
“He’s great at it,’’ Graham said. “He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen as a player and I played seven years in the NFL and was at Ohio State for five. He’s one of the best to pick up blitzes. He has a low center of gravity and he keeps his eyes open and on the target.”
“He’s an excellent runner because he makes people miss,’’ Graham said. “He’s one of the best receiving running backs as well. He can really track the ball.”
“He loves football,’’ Graham said. “He’s really a football junkie. He loves practice. If you told Jonah he couldn’t practice, he would probably cry. … He graduated from the University of Washington (as an education major) with honors. He wants to come back and walk in (Husky Stadium) for graduation on June 13.”
Graham just really heaps on the praise here for Coleman, and what sticks out the most to me is just how much he gushes about his pass-protection ability. While the first job of a running back is to carry the ball and gain yards, pass protection is also such a key part of the game, and it's an element that gets a so many running backs onto the field.
A below-average runner of the football with elite pass-protection ability is going to find work in the NFL. For Coleman, though, not only does Graham say he's one of the best pass-protecting backs he's ever seen, but he also gives him praiseas a runner due to his ability to make people miss.
It's not a stretch to think that Coleman is already the best running back Denver has in pass protection. This could give him some insane third-down value for the Broncos and also bump someone like Tyler Badie off the roster.
And if Coleman does make the most of the carries he earns, it really would not be a stretch to see him move into that RB2 slot behind J.K. Dobbins.
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