{"id":858406,"date":"2026-04-07T07:10:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T07:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/858406\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T07:10:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T07:10:24","slug":"denver-broncos-2026-nfl-draft-preview-the-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/858406\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver Broncos 2026 NFL Draft Preview \u2013 The Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite the continuous grumblings against the Denver Broncos\u2019 offense, a trip to the AFC championship game silenced the haters. However, fans will forever speculate about the potential outcomes if Bo Nix<\/a> had not sustained a broken ankle against the Buffalo Bills.<\/p>\n

With a new offensive coordinator in Davis Webb<\/a>, the future is bright for the 2026 Broncos. Sean Payton<\/a> has relieved playcalling duties to Webb, giving Broncos fans confidence in the franchise\u2019s future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Broncos Draft Picks:<\/p>\n

With free agency looming, the Broncos look to the NFL draft to reinforce positions and draft potential new stars. However, after the Jaylen Waddle<\/a> trade<\/a>, the Broncos only have three picks in the first four rounds:<\/p>\n

Round 2: Pick 62
\nRound 4: Pick 108
\nRound 4: Pick 111
\nRound 5: Pick 170
\nRound 7: Pick 246
\nRound 7: Pick 256
\nRound 7: Pick 257<\/p>\n

Broncos Positions of Need:<\/p>\n

Sean Payton described the linebacker and running back positions as \u201cmusts\u201d<\/a> that the Broncos are aggressively pursuing. However, this was before the re-signing of both Tyler Badie<\/a> and Jaleel McLaughlin<\/a>. Knowing this, the Broncos clearly need depth on both sides and a solid inside linebacker, meaning they should pursue:<\/p>\n

Key Draft Targets for Broncos:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0
\nJake Golday<\/a> \u2013 LB \u2013 Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Jake Golday may be the permanent replacement of Dre Greenlaw<\/a>. He\u2019s big and has explosive attacks on the line of scrimmage with grit; a heavy-handed linebacker that eliminates the run with ease. Golday has shined at the college level and enters the draft as a top 60<\/a> prospect.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Golday still needs some development, he would shine early in special teams. However, his future potential is unlimited with the right coaching staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trey Zuhn \u2013 OT \u2013 Texas A&M<\/p>\n

Despite the terrific offensive line the Broncos boast, competition is never a bad thing. With age always on the horizon, the Broncos met with Trey Zuhn, looking to add depth to their offensive line.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A first-team All-SEC<\/a> honor player in 2025, Zuhn would be a great backup and future starter. Although he is likely to transition to a guard or center in the NFL, this would fit nicely as a Day 3<\/a> selection for the Broncos.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bud Clark<\/a> \u2013 S \u2013 TCU<\/p>\n

After the departure of P.J. Locke<\/a> in free agency, a safety addition is a must for Denver. A sixth-year senior with plenty of length, Bud Clark is a wide receiver playing defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fifteen interceptions<\/a> in four seasons is the type of turnover-hungry player Denver loves to employ. Although his stock is rising<\/a>, the Broncos would be blessed to snag Clark in the fourth round.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite the continuous grumblings against the Denver Broncos\u2019 offense, a trip to the AFC championship game silenced the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":858407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2062],"tags":[4955,232,231,258,2426,7,6,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-858406","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-broncos","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-broncos","10":"tag-denver","11":"tag-denver-broncos","12":"tag-denverbroncos","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116362178089846773","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=858406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=858406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=858406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}