![\"Ohio](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25273641361859.jpg\")
Ohio State tight end Max Klare (86) runs with Washington linebacker Deven Bryant (17), right, during the second half on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo\/John Froschauer)\nRound 2, pick No. 62: TE Max Klare, Ohio State<\/p>\n
Welcome to The Denver Post\u2019s first Broncos mock draft of the offseason. The next installment will come the week of March 2, following the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At one point, as he admitted in early April 2025, Sean Payton accidentally drank out of George Paton\u2019s water bottle while crushing draft tape in the Broncos\u2019 facility in Dove Valley.<\/p>\n
Denver\u2019s staff is still a couple of months away from that level of war-room intimacy, a few weeks after the sting of a season-ending loss in the AFC Championship Game. But draft season will officially arrive with the NFL Combine in Indianapolis the week of Feb. 23, where Broncos staffers will get an official evaluation on a 2026 rookie class that has the potential \u2014 with the right moves \u2014 to help pry open Denver\u2019s Super Bowl window.<\/p>\n
This group of draftees will evolve drastically over the next two months, with combine measurements and performance serving as a major launchpad for players\u2019 stock. For now, the Broncos\u2019 needs are set in stone: skill talent, linebacker, and depth. With that in mind, Denver Post beat reporters Parker Gabriel and Luca Evans took an educated spin through Pro Football Focus\u2019s mock-draft simulator to look at the early crop of prospects Denver could target with their seven picks (and two likely additional compensatory picks) in April\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how The Post\u2019s initial mock draft shook out. The parameters: no trades, and a couple more discussed fits for Denver at each draft slot.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Round 1, pick No. 30: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo<\/p>\n
Oops.<\/p>\n
Is the secondary perhaps the smallest area of need on Denver\u2019s current roster? Yes. Would drafting to the secondary in the first round incite a riot from Broncos Country, after the Broncos blindsided everyone with Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron in 2025? Possibly. But hear this out.<\/p>\n
In this PFF simulation, a host of talented interior-defensive-line fits \u2014 Florida\u2019s Caleb Banks, Ohio State\u2019s Kayden McDonald, Texas Tech\u2019s Lee Hunter \u2014 went a few picks before Denver\u2019s No. 30 slot. The Rams took Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq at No. 29, removing one early obvious pass-catching option. That left a potential reach at a receiver or a linebacker, which didn\u2019t feel quite right. Payton organizations haven\u2019t taken a WR in the first round since the Saints picked Brandin Cooks in 2014.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a good Day 1 safety crop available, and McNeil-Warren could be a great value at this spot for Denver. He has great size at 6-foot-2, closes quickly on receivers and was a monster in coverage at Toledo last season: just six catches allowed in 15 targets, according to PFF. Quietly, the Broncos would save themselves $7.4 million in cap room by cutting starting safety Brandon Jones \u2014 who suffered an eventual season-ending torn pec in December \u2014 and could lose key reserve P.J. Locke to free agency. This is incredibly unsexy, but it makes sense.<\/p>\n
Other options considered: WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana; WR Chris Bell, Louisville. Cooper Jr. was a stud in 2025 for the national champion Hoosiers, but mainly played slot receiver; the Broncos probably wouldn\u2019t fire on a WR in the first round if they didn\u2019t deem him versatile. The 6-foot-2 Bell fits the Payton mold, but he suffered a torn ACL at the end of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n
Ohio State tight end Max Klare (86) runs with Washington linebacker Deven Bryant (17), right, during the second half on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo\/John Froschauer)
\nRound 2, pick No. 62: TE Max Klare, Ohio State<\/p>\n
Will Denver move on from Evan Engram and save $3.8 million in cap room?<\/a> Regardless, this is an incredibly deep TE class, and the Broncos would do well to find quarterback Bo Nix a true matchup threat who can stay on the field in a variety of packages. Since Payton arrived in 2023, Denver\u2019s been consistently split between tight ends that Payton trusts as blockers (Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins) and tight ends he trusts as receivers (Engram, Lucas Krull). The 6-foot-5 Klare could be trusted as both.<\/p>\n Klare racked up 43 catches for 448 yards for a Buckeyes offense that primarily relied on its wide receivers in 2025, and handled run-blocking duties well. He could reasonably play next to Engram in two-tight-end sets if the Broncos hold onto the veteran, or serve as the primary threat if Denver cuts bait.<\/p>\n Other options considered: ILB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech; RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame. Price is a highly interesting option as a complement to RJ Harvey, more of a traditional between-the-tackles power back who has less value in third-down situations. Rodriguez is one of the best early fits for Denver in this class, but is currently projected to go around the third round. Gabriel and Evans hoped Rodriguez would fall to Denver\u2019s next pick. Regretfully, he was snapped up by Chicago. This was The Post\u2019s biggest mock-draft oops.<\/p>\n How about a different complement to Harvey? Allen has produced for four straight seasons in a powerhouse program, and popped as a senior: 1,303 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 6.2 yards per carry. NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein\u2019s initial evaluation on Allen<\/a> paints the picture of a running back with good vision who has good ball security and good contact balance \u2014 all traits that Payton and Paton value in an RB, and all traits that\u2019d mix well with Harvey\u2019s explosiveness in space.<\/p>\n Other options considered:\u00a0DL Skyler Gill-Howard, Texas Tech;\u00a0begging the artificial-intelligence Chicago Bears to trade the rights to Rodriguez.\u00a0Gill-Howard has major upside as an interior pass-rusher, which could be tantalizing for Denver with the likely free-agent departure of John Franklin-Myers. Gill-Howard, however, stands just 6-foot-1 and is raw on big-time college stats.<\/p>\n Round 4, pick No. 108: G Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame<\/p>\n PFF\u2019s simulator graded this pick as an \u201cF.\u201d But offensive line likely needs to be an area of priority for these Broncos, with tackles Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey both on the wrong side of 30 and left guard Ben Powers an obvious cut candidate. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Schrauth allowed just two pressures in 436 snaps last season at left guard for the Fighting Irish, according to Pro Football Focus, and could be undervalued in the draft after a midseason MCL sprain ended his year. If he tests well at the combine and shows the ability to move and get out in outside-zone schemes, this would look like a good pick.<\/p>\n Other options considered: T Brian Parker II, Duke; T Austin Barber, Florida. Denver could use a potential future starting tackle in this draft. Parker might\u2019ve been the option here after two great seasons at Duke, but he appears to be switching to center as a draft prospect. The 6-foot-6 Barber had an excellent senior season at Florida.<\/p>\n This is essentially a thought experiment: what if Denver just drafted Pat Bryant two years in a row? McAlister has the ideal Payton size for a receiver (6-foot-3), just led the Big 12 in receiving with 1,190 yards, and was a big-time blocker at TCU. McAlister will face character concerns in the draft process after a 2024 arrest on a charge of aggravated assault<\/a>, and any Broncos interest here would come down to a determination if his profile is clean.<\/p>\n Other options considered:\u00a0Nobody<\/p>\n![\"Penn](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP23289582908674.jpg\")
Penn State running back Kaytron Allen (13) breaks tackles on his way to score a touchdown during the first half against Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo\/Barry Reeger)
\nRound 3, pick No. 94: RB Kaytron Allen, Penn State<\/p>\n![\"TCU](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25263730067444.jpg\")
TCU wide receiver Eric McAlister (1) sprints to the end zone for a touchdown after catching a pass as SMU safety Jaden Milliner-Jones (11) gives chase in the second half of a game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo\/Tony Gutierrez)
\nRound 4, pick No. 130: WR Eric McAlister, TCU<\/p>\n![\"Houston](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25338569874880.jpg\")
Houston tight end Tanner Koziol (9) is tackled by Central Florida defensive back Antione Jackson (7) after catching a pass during the second half of a game on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo\/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
\nRound 5, pick No. 168: TE Tanner Koziol, Houston<\/p>\n