The Denver Broncos did not make a selection in the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Broncos had pick 62, which was near the very bottom of the second round, but the front office decided to trade back four spots into the 66th selection, near the very top of the third round.
Despite not having many value picks in 2026, the Broncos did seem to get some great value. Sure, the players they choose were mostly day three players for a reason, but the NFL is constantly seeing those players develop and acquire huge roles on their respective teams.
For the Broncos, a few of their draft picks this year could end up having a much earlier impact than you think.
3 Denver Broncos rookies who could see much earlier action than you think
Jonah Coleman, RB
Jonah Coleman might end up being the best player from this class for the Broncos. Coleman boasts elite pass protection ability, is strong running in between the tackles, and does have some value catching passes. Frankly, Coleman is a rather complete player. Sure, he doesn't have the long speed, but at 5-8 and 220lbs, that isn't the player he is.
With Coleman, he could end up seeing closer to an RB2 workload if he can show efficiency on the ground. He's likely already on pace for a third down role due to his protection abilities, but as we saw in 2025, RJ Harvey just was not an efficient player on the ground.
If Coleman can show the opposite, it'd be hard for the Broncos not to give him more carries and more looks as a primary backup to J.K. Dobbins, who would benecit from being in a legitimate committee approach.
Justin Joly, TE
Justin Joly is still just 21 years old and is already a high upside player as a receiver. The foundation to be a solid blocker is also present. The Broncos just simply have not had good enough talent in the tight end room for years now, but Joly and even seventh-round pick Dallen Bentley could change that.
If Joly's youth and pass-catching prowess shine through this offseason, would the Broncos consider cutting into Evan Engram's snaps? Sure, Engram has guaranteed money left on his deal and is still a 'thing' for the Broncos, but I'm not sure we should just assume that Engram is going to be the primary 'F' or 'move' tight end.
If Joly can play - he can play.
Red Murdock, LB
Red Murdock was the final pick of the draft, but he's a tackling machine and has a nose for the football. The Broncos have actually made a ton of changes to the linebacker room this offseason, as Jonah Elliss is going to get some snaps at the position, and the team was able to land Taurean York as an undrafted free agent.
But with Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad both getting new deals this offseason, it could be hard for another linebacker to see significant snaps. Or is it? We did see this happen with Singleton, Strnad, and Dre Greenlaw last year.
And one thing that does strike me as interesting is that both Singleton and Strnad's contracts are actually tradeable after June 1st. I'm not saying that would happen - one of them gets traded, but it's certainly food for thought.
Given that the top two Broncos linebackers just aren't really that special, the defense may need a third contributor. Murdock's high-end collegiate production and skill near the line of scrimmage, not in coverage, could be enough to get him on the field quite early in his NFL career.
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