This is the eighth in a series of NFL Draft previews assessing the Broncos’ positional needs.
Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Re-signed Alex Singleton to a two-year, $15.5 million deal; re-signed Justin Strnad to a three-year, $18 million deal; re-signed Levelle Bailey to a futures contract.
Under contract: Singleton, Strnad, Jonah Elliss (if he’s a full-time ILB), Drew Sanders, Jordan Turner, Karene Reid, Bailey
Need scale (1-10): 8. Doesn’t have to be a top-of-the-line piece, but it’s time for the Broncos to invest actual draft capital at the ILB spot. Strnad will be a member of the room long-term, but Singleton will turn 33 this December, and it’d make plenty of sense for Denver to add another off-ball ‘backer who can develop behind the two — regardless if Denver shifts Elliss to ILB full-time. General manager George Paton has said multiple times that this is a good ILB class, too.
The Top Five
Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Already a first-round lock, the 6-foot-5 Styles blew the doors off at the combine back in February — a 4.46-second 40-yard-dash, a 43.5-inch vertical — and could rise all the way into the top five this coming week in Pittsburgh. His 2024 season for the Buckeyes was a marvel: 100 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, six sacks. He’ll make a linebacker-needy franchise quite happy.
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Initially considered a mid-round prospect, Rodriguez now looks poised to land squarely in the second round. In a perfect world, the 2025 Bronko Nagurski winner — college football’s top defensive award — would fall to Denver at No. 62. But Rodriguez’s combination of leadership and coverage skills will make that highly unlikely.
CJ Allen, Georgia
Allen was one of the hotter early names for Denver at No. 30 back when the franchise still had its first-round pick, but the Georgia product has fallen a smidge down draft boards the past couple months. The 2025 All-American will likely still be gone by the back of the second round, as he’s a textbook green-dot fit in the heart of an NFL defense.
Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
If you flipped Hill’s 2024 and 2025 seasons, he’d be an easy first-round pick: the tape looked much better a year ago, when the linebacker led the SEC with 16.5 tackles for loss and racked up eight sacks and four forced fumbles. The athleticism popped at the combine, though, and Hill is a versatile fit who can play mike or will and thrive in pass-rush situations. The Rodriguez-Allen-Hill tier, and where they land in the second round, will be one of the more interesting developments for Denver to monitor.
Jake Golday, Cincinnati
Here’s a guy that could be sitting pretty for Denver at No. 62. Golday graded as excellent against the run in a 105-tackle season in 2025, added 3.5 sacks, and posted decent numbers in coverage. It’s easy to imagine Vance Joseph utilizing Golday as a blitzer similar to how he creates pressure with Singleton and Strnad.
More Broncos fits
Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh
A linebacker-safety hybrid, the Broncos should have their eyes all over Louis. The versatile 22-year-old has totaled six interceptions across the last two seasons, and has the speed and agility to both pursue sideline-to-sideline and cover in space. The only concern here is his durability playing ILB — Louis is a shade under six feet, and weighing at 220 pounds.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU
Paton said Thursday that Denver likes to draft “high-trait players” that “maybe lack a little polish.” Meet Elarms-Orr, who ranked second among all ILBs at the combine in the 40-yard-dash, fifth in 10-yard-split, and second in vertical leap — all at 6-foot-2 and 234 pounds. He racked up 11 tackles for loss and four sacks in 13 games in 2025; if the Broncos are confident he can grow into an adequate coverage linebacker, he could be a mid-round steal. He’s taken a top-30 visit in Denver.
Jimmy Rolder, Michigan
Rolder grew from a reserve into a key starter across four years at Michigan, and racked up 73 tackles and seven tackles for loss in 2025. In a deep draft, he could be a solid Day 3 option for Denver. He’s graded as one of the best tacklers in this class at his position.
Bryce Boettcher, Oregon
Boettcher said at the combine that he felt a “like-minded mentality when it comes to the physicality of the game,” in an initial conversation with Denver. That physicality, indeed, should endear Boettcher to the Broncos: he racked up 136 tackles in 15 games for the Ducks last season. He’s a ready-made Singleton-type who also will provide plenty of special-teams value.
Dom DeLuca, Penn State
A Day 3-to-PFA-type, DeLuca grew from a walk-on special-teamer to a key contributor at inside linebacker across five years at Penn State. He struggled at times to both wrap up and cover in space for the Nittany Lions, but the Broncos love versatile pieces who can offer special-teams value, and DeLuca fits squarely into that mold. Denver’s reached out on him.
