Tom Pennington, Getty Images
Brock Purdy (15) of the Iowa State Cyclones carries the ball against Nik Bonitto (11) of the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half of the 2020 Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship football game at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 19, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) 
Getting your player ready...
For the fifth year in a row, the Broncos used at least one of their draft picks on a linebacker, selecting Oklahoma outside linebacker Nik Bonitto with the 64th overall pick of the 2022 draft. With the Broncos choosing a pair of linebackers in last year’s draft, and handing their biggest free-agent contract to another (Randy Gregory) this offseason, the linebacker room has undergone a significant makeover since GM George Paton took over last winter. Here’s a look at how things worked out for the previous eight linebackers drafted by the Broncos:
| Year | Round-Pick | Player | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3-105 | Baron Browning (OLB) | Ohio State |
| Comment: Moved to inside linebacker as rookie due to injuries; started nine games with 57 tackles in 528 snaps. | |||
| 2021 | 7-239 | Jonathon Cooper (OLB) | Ohio State |
| Comment: Showed promise as a rookie off the edge, registering 2.5 sacks and 17.5 total disruptions over 457 snaps. | |||
| 2020 | 5-178 | Justin Strnad (ILB) | Wake Forest |
| Comment: Lost rookie year to preseason wrist injury; unable to establish himself at ILB in 2021 but made impact on special teams (204 snaps). | |||
| 2020 | 7-254 | Derrek Tuszka (OLB) | North Dakota State |
| Comment: Late-round pick was waived in August 2021 and later picked up by Pittsburgh. | |||
| 2019 | 5-156 | Justin Hollins (OLB) | Oregon |
| Comment: Waived after Broncos’ 2020 training camp, and spent last two seasons with L.A. Rams. | |||
| 2018 | 1-5 | Bradley Chubb (OLB) | N.C. State |
| Comment: Set franchise rookie sack record (12.0) and made Pro Bowl in 2020, but also missed 24 of 49 games over past three seasons. | |||
| 2018 | 4-106 | Josey Jewell (ILB) | Iowa |
| Comment: Started last season as defensive leader, but torn pectoral in Week 2 ended his season. Was No. 2 on team in tackles (113) in 2020 and appeared in 49 games (30 starts) since 2018. | |||
| 2018 | 6-217 | Keishawn Bierria (ILB) | Washington |
| Comment: Short-lived Broncos career ended when he was cut in October 2019. Mostly contributed on special teams. | |||
