This is the third in a series of NFL Draft previews assessing the Broncos’ positional needs.
Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Traded first-round, third-round and fourth-round pick for Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle and fourth-round pick; re-signed Lil’Jordan Humphrey on one-year, veteran-minimum contract; re-signed Michael Bandy to futures contract.
Under contract: Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., Humphrey, Bandy
Need scale (1-10): 4. The Waddle trade completely upended the outlook at this position. The Broncos landed the truly elite route-runner they’d been searching for. Waddle and veteran Sutton, now, will lead the room as interchangeable pieces at the X and Z receiver, with Franklin continuing to develop as a field-stretcher and Bryant needing sun as a possession target. The key here is Mims’ contract: his rookie deal is up after 2026, and the Broncos want another returner in the kicking game to preserve Mims for punt and receiving duties. It’s highly unlikely Denver targets a receiver with any of its first few picks, but the franchise could look to add speed late.
Top Five
Carnell Tate, Ohio State
The latest off the Buckeye assembly line. Tate steadily improved over three years at Ohio State and flourished as a senior in 2025, with 875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns while playing alongside Jeremiah Smith, who’ll be leading this space next year. He’s got ideal size at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, but didn’t exactly explode at the combine, with a 4.53-second 40-yard dash. Still, he’s probably as NFL-ready as anybody in a deep receiver class.
Makai Lemon, USC
Not the biggest. Not the fastest. Not the strongest. Just a player. Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award for the best receiver in college football this past season for a reason, after racking up 1,156 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s got strong hands, incredible body control and plus run-after-catch ability from any alignment. . He’s just an LA dude.
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
A one-time Colorado receiver in 2022, Tyson’s stock has careened all over the map during the pre-draft process, after initially being in contention as the first receiver off the board in April. He missed the combine and Arizona’s Pro Day with a hamstring injury, and random character concerns around durability have begun to swirl around the 6-foot-2 wideout. Take that with a grain of salt. He’s caught 18 touchdowns in 21 games the last two seasons, and has as much big-play ability as any receiver in this class.
KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
Denver would’ve probably been in the mix here at pick No. 30, and even scheduled a top-30 visit with Concepcion, before canceling it after the Waddle trade. Concepcion has produced wherever and in whatever role he’s been across three years at NC State and Texas A&M, and was an All-American in 2025 after racking up 919 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He’ll likely be a late Round 1 pick and a slot weapon for somebody.
Omar Cooper, Indiana
Similar to Concepcion, Denver was doing work on Cooper, as the Hoosiers wideout took a visit in Denver before the Waddle trade. Cooper was Fernando Mendoza’s top target in 2025, with 69 catches and 13 touchdowns in 16 games, and has produced both from the slot and outside in his collegiate career. He profiles similarly, actually, to Waddle in that vein.
More Broncos fits
Malachi Fields, Notre Dame
Fields will probably go before the Broncos can circle back around to the fourth round, but this is a receiver in the Sean Payton mold (big). He’s 6-foot-4 and a half, weighs 218 pounds, and has a 38-inch vertical jump. Think Sutton’s ability to track balls in the red zone and make big third-down contested catches in one-on-one opportunities, here. Denver doesn’t really need Fields because of circumstance, but system-wise, he’d be a gem for Bo Nix.
Eli Heidenreich, Navy
How about a multidimensional weapon who ran for 499 yards and caught for 941 more in Navy’s triple-option offense? The 6-foot-0 Heidenreich’s best fit as a pro is completely unclear (is he a running back? A fullback? A slot receiver? A special-teamer?) but the production and speed is real. It’s easy to see Payton salivating over the gadget possibilities here, and Heidenreich will probably be there on Day 3.
Donaven McCulley, Michigan
McCulley’s done a Zoom with Denver, and the Broncos’ interest makes sense for one very large reason. The Michigan product stands 6-foot-4 and had a decent season in 2025, with 588 receiving yards in 13 games. He’s a converted quarterback, too, so there’s some untapped upside here. The top-end speed might not be there, but McCulley could be a seventh-round or free-agent target for Denver.
Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech
The tools here are top-of-the-line. Douglas stands 6-foot-3 and a half and ran his 40-yard-dash in 4.39 seconds at the combine, an intriguing blend of size and speed. He had great production for two years at Texas Tech, with two straight seasons of 800-plus receiving yards. In a deep draft for receivers, Douglas could easily drop to Day Three.
Kaden Wetjen, Iowa
This would be a return play, as Wetjen has had an unreal stretch on kicks and punts across a three-year career for the Hawkeyes: he led the FBS in kick-return yardage in 2024, and led in punt-return yardage in 2025. If Denver is seriously considering moving on from Mims, Wetjen would be a good play. Without much receiving tape, though (23 catches across three years), this would be too steep a price unless the Broncos could nab Wetjen late in Day Three.
