The Denver Broncos shocked many across the NFL when they used their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Jahdae Barron, a defensive back. Barron, in his first year in the NFL, was hardly noticeable, unfortunately.
And while Barron in particular might be a bit of a slow build, it would not be crazy to say that many of us had hoped for a bit more from a first-round pick. Now in 2026, the Broncos have to ensure the first-rounder, which is the no. 30 selection, is used wisely. Some have wondered if the team could trade this pick for an impact player like Jaylen Waddle.
But there is a chance the Broncos keep the pick and take a rookie prospect. This draft unfortunately does not have 30 players worthy of a first-round grade, so Denver may have to get creative with this pick, but a latest mock draft from one of the most respected NFL Draft experts has the Broncos making a flat-out insane first-round selection.
Mel Kiper mocks Emmanuel McNeil-Warren to the Denver Broncos in Round 1
Legendary NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper decided on Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil Warren at pick 30 for the Broncos.
"The Broncos have two solid safeties in Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones, so this pick might not reap immediate rewards. But neither did the Jahdae Barron pick last April. Denver is planning ahead in the secondary and building something there, as coach Sean Payton focuses on keeping this defense strong.
McNeil-Warren is a bit of a sleeper right now, but I think he could have been a top-15 pick had he played for a Power 4 team. His performance against Kentucky at the beginning of the season got my attention. He had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in that game. His tape shows real speed to the football, and he has five interceptions and 12 forced fumbles over his four-year career."
Yeah, I just cannot personally get on board with a first-round safety. Not only did the Broncos just use a first-round pick on a defensive back last year, but the safety room is still in a great spot. Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga form one of the top-3 safety duos in the NFL, and both players were brought in via free agency.
Typically, the safety free agent market is deeper than other positions, and with Denver having built much of this defense via free agency, there is reason to believe they'd want to continue this. Furthermore, while you can definitely argue that safety is a future need, I find it hard to argue that it's a first-round need.
When you consider the other more urgent needs on the Broncos roster, safety gets pushed even further down the list. All of tight end, wide receiver, running back, defensive line, and linebacker are clearly more urgent first-round needs for the Broncos.
It's not a bad idea by any means to address safety in this year's draft, as Jones does have just one more year left on his deal, but using a first-round pick on the position is a massive reach in my opinion. This has nothing to do with the player, though, as McNeil-Warren is every bit of a first-round prospect.
This would be a totally different situation, if, for example, Brandon Jones was slated to be a free agent this offseason and was 30 years old. Jones is going on 28 and, as we said, still under contract. If Denver did use the 30th overall pick on a safety, it would again feel like a Round 1 disappointment.