They have very few starting spots up for grabs, at least on paper.

They have, relatively speaking, very few question marks.

And yet, Sean Payton’s fourth team will have plenty of competition throughout the early portions of the summer and into training camp.

There are, by The Post����ap count, somewhere in the neighborhood of seven to nine spots up for grabs on the 53-man roster at the moment and a pool of perhaps 18-20 players vying for them. Those counts come before any of the inevitable injuries that will crop up between now and the end of August.

This early projection comes before any potential substantial roster move, of which Denver has typically made at least one between OTAs and the start of the regular season. A year ago, for example, the Broncos signed running back J.K. Dobbins in June and then traded receiver Devaughn Vele in August.

It also comes before any big training camp surprise, a young player who makes a strong push or a veteran who suddenly appears out of gas.

Before Payton’s team starts OTAs on Tuesday, here’s an early attempt at a 53-man roster projection. The point of this exercise at this calendar waypoint is merely to mark a starting point and to attempt to determine where the most uncertainty — and opportunity — lies on the Broncos’ current 91-man roster.

Finding 53 among this group requires tough decisions even before any actual football activity has started. There are players that were difficult to leave off the roster and some groups — offensive and defensive lines, in particular — that are deep enough to impact other spots. Payton and general manager George Paton have shown time and time again they value quality players in the trenches.

There are a handful of veterans who could theoretically be considered cut candidates because of a combination of depth and salary, like tight end Evan Engram ($14.14 million cap hit) and left guard Ben Powers ($18.16 million). Denver could trade a veteran or quality player from a position of strength to help fortify elsewhere or accumulate future draft capital.

Among the players who look from this distance likely to exist somewhere around the bubble, however, none has a bigger cap number than offensive lineman Matt Peart����ap $2.39 million or more guaranteed money than quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s $1 million.

So, away we go. Players in the bubble conversation, both above and below the roster cut in this exercise, are in italics.

OFFENSE (25)

Quarterback (3)

Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger

The question, really, with Denver’s quarterbacks is this: two or three? Denver started last year with two when Ehlinger agreed to start the season on the practice squad. If a similar scenario plays out — he’s got $1 million guaranteed — then the Broncos could well take two. Denver values Ehlinger, though, and he’s going to get a bunch of work in OTAs and likely minicamp after Bo Nix had a second ankle procedure last month. This makes for tougher calls at other spots on a deep roster, but let����ap not mess around with the quarterback position when you’ve got players you like. If nothing else, using three as the starting point in this exercise ups the difficulty level the rest of the way.

Running back (4)

J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman and Adam Prentice (FB)��

Also: Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Cody Schrader

Coleman’s selection in the fourth round changes the complexion here by quite a bit. He’s a potential third-down back right away and the Broncos are high on him if he’s needed beyond that early on. With a cleaner-fitting trio of backs, McLaughlin and Badie both have a tough road to the roster. If Denver wanted four plus Prentice, McLaughlin probably heads into the summer with the lead.

Tight end (4)

Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Justin Joly and Caleb Lohner��

Also: Dallen Bentley, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull

One of the toughest projections. Lohner gets the nod for the moment after Payton raved about him earlier in May, especially because Payton was particularly impressed with Lohner’s physicality and blocking. This, like many bubble decisions, could come down to who Denver thinks it can get to the practice squad between Lohner and Bentley, the No. 256 overall pick in April. With a bounce-back summer, Adkins could re-establish himself as a key role player. He could end up competing for a spot with Prentice, though, as much as it seems he could play some fullback; the Broncos just haven’t asked him to do it much so far in his career.

Wide receiver (5)

Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr.

Also: Michael Bandy, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Michael Woods, Cam Ross, Kolbie Katsis, Joseph Manjack and Dane Key

Assuming no trades, it����ap hard to see how anybody besides the top five makes the initial 53-man roster. Waddle was the Broncos’ big offseason splash and, though he will impact playing time for the rest of the room, Denver’s brass has been consistent in saying they’re not looking to move on from any of the regulars. Bandy and Humphrey are no strangers to starting the season on a practice squad and eventually seeing time on the 53-man roster. It’ll be interesting to see if an undrafted rookie like Ross can make the Broncos think twice about going status quo, but that����ap a tall task.

Offensive line (9)

Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum, Kage Casey and Alex Forsyth��

Also: Matt Peart, Nick Gargiulo, Calvin Throckmorton, Tyler Miller, Gavin Ortega, Michael Dieter and Nash Jones

The Broncos have enviable depth on their offensive line, but, like with wide receiver, the roles are defined enough that it����ap difficult to imagine a ton of wiggle room. Palczewski and Crum are valued depth and development pieces and Casey, a fourth-round pick, joins them in a similar mold. Forsyth has been the clear No. 2 center for two seasons behind Wattenberg. That����ap nine. Peart and Throckmorton are veterans who have stepped in and played, while Gargiulo showed some promise before a bad preseason knee injury last summer. Miller and Ortega are interesting undrafted rookies but, outside a rash of injuries or major training camp push, it����ap reasonable to think they’re ticketed for the practice squad.

DEFENSE (25)

Defensive line (7)

Zach Allen, DJ Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwauzurike, Tyler Onyedim, Sai’Vion Jones and Jordan Jackson

Also: Matt Henningsen, Jordan Miller and Kristian Williams

A key part of the rationale for going heavy here again: Each of the past two years the roster cutdown has passed and Payton and Paton have made it clear that Jackson made the 53-man roster easily. We’ll bet for now that the same ends up happening this summer. They might decide they just have to have a player at another position. Maybe somebody else is a surprise cut, though among this group 2025 third-rounder Sai’Vion Jones is the only real candidate and that would be a major surprise given they traded up for him and also liked his development last season. So, Payton and Paton instead stick to their principles and go heavy up front once again.

Outside linebacker (4)

Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman

Also: Drew Sanders, Johnny Walker and Dasan McCullough

The first three are absolute locks and there’s not much doubt about Tillman, either. The going gets tough from there. Health has been a major obstacle for Sanders, but if he plays all summer, he’ll probably be productive enough to make the roster. The numbers just get tight elsewhere in a hurry. Keeping four here is really 4.5 in a way because Jonah Elliss can play on the edge if needed, plus a deep defensive line group can help take some work off the edge guys against heavier teams. Sanders is a training camp wild card, though.

Inside linebacker (4)

Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Jonah Elliss and Red Murdock��

Also: Jordan Turner, Karene Reid, Levelle Bailey, Taurean York

Once again, this is about roster management and who makes it to the practice squad after the top three. Murdock was Mr. Irrelevant in the draft at No. 257, but forced 17 fumbles in his college career at Buffalo. Turner’s got real promise, so it was not an easy call to leave him off. Reid was a special teams regular after making the initial roster as an undrafted rookie last year, but this is maybe a tougher roster to make despite the release of Dre Greenlaw earlier this spring.

Cornerback (5)

Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine

Also: Reese Taylor, Jaden Robinson, Brent Austin, Ahmari Harvey and Paul Manning

Pretty straightforward here. The major storyline is more about beyond 2026, as McMillian and Moss are both entering contract years. For now, though, this is one of the deepest and most talented cornerback groups in football. Taylor has been a regular on the practice squad and was promoted to the active roster from mid-November on last year. The only question is if new secondary coaches Rob Livingston and Doug Belk see any of the personnel differently than Jim Leonhard and Addison Lynch previously.

Safety (5)

Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, Miles Scott and JL Skinner

Also: Tycen Anderson and Parker Robertson

There will be competition across multiple position groups based on special teams output. You can put Skinner, Anderson, Scott, Taylor, Turner, Reid, Sanders and more all into that group. The Broncos gave Anderson $650,000 guaranteed in part to be a key special teams player, so he might well make it. But over who? That signing was before Denver drafted Scott. Skinner is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is at a critical point in his career. The way coaches have talked about Key this offseason, he feels like the early favorite to replace P.J. Locke as the No. 3 safety. Denver signed Sam Franklin and gave him $1.34 million in guarantees last year, then cut him in August.

SPECIALIST (3)

PK Wil Lutz, P Jeremy Crawshaw and LS Mitch Fraboni

Also: LS Luke Basso

Not much mystery here. The Broncos signed the rookie Basso as summer competition, but Fraboni’s been solid and is under contract through 2027.

Jonah Coleman looks like he could be the second coming of C.J. Anderson: A short, tanky back with big-time pass protection skills. It looks like we’re going into 2026 with J.K. Dobbins as RB1 again, but can he beat out RJ Harvey for that RB2 slot? Thanks.

— Ryan Smith, Commerce City

Hey Ryan, thanks for writing and getting us going this week.

The other Broncos running back that Coleman has drawn early comparisons to: Dobbins himself. In fact, head coach Sean Payton brought it up during the draft and assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt after the draft called the comp “very valid.” That����ap a pretty good starting point for the fourth-round pick out of Washington.

Dobbins will indeed lead Denver’s running back group into the 2026 season. It����ap early to know exactly how roles shake out, but to my mind the early blueprint is essentially Dobbins and Harvey in similar roles to what they did last year and then Coleman as the third-down back plus maybe a little more.

Let����ap just make the overarching disclaimer once, since most of the questions this week are about guys who have not yet stepped on an NFL practice field, let alone played in preseason or regular season games: It����ap April. Every rookie has a lot to do to get onto the field and there are months of work, development, signings, injuries and all the rest before we even get to the season’s starting point.

The Broncos would of course love it if Harvey took a big step in Year 2 and added every-down rushing efficiency to his obvious talent and explosiveness catching the ball and working in space. They would love it if Dobbins plays the entire season for the first time in his career. They’d love it if Coleman made himself difficult to keep off the field.

Coleman’s going to have to prove he can pick up Denver’s protection plan — not an easy task for a rookie — in order to lock down the third-down job, but the Broncos like his ability in that department. Add in 51 catches over the past two years at Washington and there’s a chance he can essentially consolidate the roles of Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin. In an ideal world, Coleman and Harvey can perhaps take a bit of the load off Dobbins and complete the orbit of needs around him and then also serve as complementary options should Dobbins miss time.

On paper, it looks good. If everyone is healthy going into the season and Harvey looks poised to take a leap, Coleman’s role right out of the chute might be third down only. But even that����ap an important spot, and the rookie could push for more.

Hey Parker! What do you think of our draft class? I like Jonah Coleman and I think he can be a contributor this year. But how do you feel about Tyler Onyedim? And what’s up with us not going for an inside linebacker until literally the last pick in the draft?

— Mark, Arvada

Hey Mark, thanks for writing and, more importantly, for agreeing with me on Coleman.

Onyedim, too, is going to have a real chance to carve out a role, even if it����ap not a massive one. Basically, he’s going to get thrown into the mix of players attempting to replace John Franklin-Myers, who got more than $20 million per year from Tennessee in free agency.

It����ap worth saying there’s no guarantee that Denver will play its defensive rotation exactly like it did a year ago. Franklin-Myers played very similar rates each of his two years in Denver — 46% in 2024 and 49% last year. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Broncos will see those 517 snaps as the exact shape of the hole. They could use Malcolm Roach even a bit more (career-high 50% play time in his 12 games last year) and Eyioma Uwazurike (36% playing time) figures to be a key in the equation, too. If Denver keeps Roach in essentially the role he excelled in last year, then it has three options to replace JFM’s approximate snaps: Uwazurike and Onyedim — former teammates at Iowa State — and 2025 third-rounder Sai’Vion Jones.

Uwazurike has the most experience, even after missing 2023 due to suspension and playing just 63 snaps in 2024. Overall, though, that����ap a good battle going into this summer. Plus, Uwazurike is entering the final year of his rookie contract this fall.

As for the linebacker conversation, there’s never a good way to say exactly how or why a team didn’t draft a position during a particular draft. Burckhardt made it clear afterward that Denver wanted a linebacker, but didn’t see it as a critical need after re-signing Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton earlier this spring. It����ap also worth considering how the second round developed.

Remember, GM George Paton said the club had a group of six players targeted as options at No. 62.

“They all started going,” Paton said Friday night after selecting Onyedim while noting that the defensive lineman was in that group of six.

Combine that with the fact that five ILBs (and four TEs) went in the 19 picks before Denver’s original slot. ILB Anthony Hill Jr. and TE Max Klare were selected in the spots immediately preceding Denver. It����ap not difficult to figure out where, at least in part, the Broncos were initially looking.

Do you think either of the tight ends we drafted will do much this year? I don’t know much about them.

— Phillip K., Denver

Hey Phillip, thanks for the question. They’ll each have a chance to contribute early, but I’m not sure you look at either as a surefire rotation member right out of the gate.

They are different kinds of players. Justin Joly, the fifth-rounder out of NC State, is a pass-catcher first and foremost. He’s, in positional parlance, an “F” who will move around the formation, play from the slot or wing and factor in the passing game. Dallen Bentley, the seventh-rounder out of Utah, is a “Y.” He’s the classic tight end who can line up in-line, attached to the tackle on either side of the formation.

The shorthand: Joly begins as an Evan Engram-type and Bentley begins as Adam Trautman-type.

Those aren’t Denver’s only tight ends, of course, though injuries limited the rest of the group in terms of playing time in 2025. That trio came in this way: Nate Adkins (199 snaps in nine games), Marcedes Lewis (81 snaps in five games) and Lucas Krull (53 snaps in three games).

Trautman’s 57% playing time checked in between 2024 (52%) and 2023 (70%). Engram played less in Year 1 with the Broncos than any healthy season previously in Jacksonville and with the New York Giants.

The Broncos need to figure out how to get more production out of this group. If that����ap via Joly or Bentley right away, great. Maybe they can help Denver play heavier or feature more TE variety. If it����ap as simple as unlocking Engram more, that����ap more than fine. As a starting point, I’m not sure there’s a massive role for either rookie right away, but perhaps one or both can make some summer noise and alter that conversation.

What can you tell me about this Red Murdock kid? I’ve been watching videos about him and it feels like we found a gem that fell through the cracks. He owns the NCAA record for most career forced fumbles! How did he not get drafted higher?

— Walter, Pueblo

Hey Walter, thanks for writing in. First thing, make sure to catch Sean Keeler’s column from early this week. It����ap a good one and will tell you a lot about Murdock the person. He’s a smart, interesting guy.

The stats are indeed wild. Murdock forced 17 fumbles over 34 games at Buffalo. He was credited with 298 total tackles in the past two seasons. So on and so forth.

Not only that, but plenty of services thought Murdock would go sooner than No. 257. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, for example, had him graded as a fourth or fifth-round pick and the No. 138 overall player in the class. Murdock checked in two spots behind Boise State OL Kage Casey on Brugler’s overall list. The Broncos drafted Casey No. 111 overall.

As for why Murdock was available late, teams see players in increasingly disparate ways as the draft enters its latter stages. Murdock also doesn’t have a huge wingspan and isn’t a top-shelf athlete, comparatively speaking. He also dealt with a foot/ankle injury last year that he played through but which lingered long enough to cut his pro day short this spring.

Which of the undrafted free agents do you think will have the best shot at making the team?

— K.J., Cheyenne, Wyo.

Hey K.J., good question and definitely one to revisit after rookie minicamp, which will be next weekend. There’s always somebody who jumps out when reporters get a chance to watch guys on the field. That doesn’t always equate to making the 53-man roster, but it����ap always an interesting exercise. Plus, it����ap hard to complain about seeing football-related activities in May.

The first guide is typically money. If you see a big guarantee for an undrafted free agent — some teams committed as much as $300,000 in total guarantees this spring — that means the team believes that player will at least be on their practice squad. The base practice squad salary for a rookie is $13,750 per week, totaling $247,500 for the season. So some players are essentially being guaranteed an entire PS salary plus a little.

By that measure in Denver, you’d look to players like ILB Taurean York (Texas A&M), OLB Dasan McCullough (Nebraska) and OT Tyler Miller (Iowa State). Of course, offensive line and outside linebacker are going to be two of the toughest position groups to crack, assuming good health. So let����ap say York as an early candidate, but see what happens once the guys have been on the field a couple of times, too.

There was no glitz to his profile then, though, entering a rebuilding program with exactly one total win in its last two seasons. Coleman was wedged behind two seniors, too, in D.J. Williams and Michael Wiley. So then-Wildcats RBs coach Scottie Graham offered a word of advice stuck.

“Coach Graham told me the only way I’m going to get on the field,” Coleman recalled Saturday, “is if I pick up blitzes.”

It’s become a staple of the 22-year-old running back’s game ever since, through two years growing into all-around stardom at Arizona and two years following head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington. NFL.com gave 28 true running backs a draftable grade in this class. Coleman ranked third, according to data collected by The Denver Post, . In a late-September loss to Ohio State in 2025, Coleman picked up eventual star linebacker Sonny Styles on a blitz — and sent the eventual No. 7 pick falling from heaven to earth.

Jonah Coleman meeting Sonny Styles in pass pro

— Drew Beatty (@IronCityFilm)

That rep, and dozens of others like it, formed the foundation for the Broncos’ interest in the stocky Coleman — their chosen running back among a long list available on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

“Now I get to go protect Bo Nix, and I take pride in that,” Coleman said on a conference call Saturday afternoon, shortly after the Broncos drafted him at pick No. 108 in the fourth round. “And I may not have, like, all the exciting plays, all that. But I do the dirty work.

“I do the things that not a lot of people pay attention to.”

They’ll be paying attention in Denver, where the Broncos’ backfield fell into utter flux last year after veteran J.K. Dobbins’ season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 10. Denver was left, after a regular-season stretch run and a berth in the AFC Championship Game, with a mishmash of running backs with noteable holes in their skill sets.

Dynamic 2025 second-round rookie RJ Harvey excelled in the receiving game and was the heaviest back on the roster — but averaged just 2.8 yards a carry on runs outside the tackles in 2025 (according to Pro Football Focus), trying to bounce out one too many carries. RB3 Tyler Badie excelled in pass protection — but had four drops in 31 targets and offered little in the ground game. Change-of-pace vet Jaleel McLaughlin was the Broncos’ most productive per-touch back — but has never been trusted for third-down work in his three seasons in Denver.

Enter Coleman, a grinder who lacks top-of-the-line athleticism but can fill in every possible gap in the Broncos’ current backfield.

“I can ultimately add to that culture that they have, and be that thumper runner that they have,” Coleman told reporters Saturday. “And just being able to come in, and being with guys like RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins and stuff like that, you ultimately have a three-headed monster in the run game.”

A day after Denver’s season ended with 79 total rushing yards and a 10-7 loss in a blizzard to New England, head coach Sean Payton stepped into offensive-line coach Zach Strief’s office with a directive to improve the Broncos’ run-game consistency. For months thereafter, the Broncos stood pat with their backfield. They re-signed the productive but injury-riddled Dobbins. They expressed faith in Harvey as an eventual three-down weapon. They brought back Badie and McLaughlin on one-year, minimum deals.

Payton hinted at league meetings, though, that running back would still be “a focus” in Denver’s draft plans. Quietly, the Broncos evaluated a number of running-back options in free agency — even after re-upping with Dobbins. One name they were interested in, as multiple sources have told The Denver Post: former Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., a 220-pound back who profiled well in short-yardage work.

Coleman also weighs exactly 220 pounds, . Denver has needed a heavier back who can handle some between-the-tackles and short-yardage work to preserve Dobbins’ body and keep Harvey fresh; Coleman could step into immediate red-zone snaps for the Broncos, running for a combined 25 touchdowns across his last two seasons at Washington.

Denver, though, spent the most time with Coleman pre-draft evaluating his abilities as a third-down back, where he can provide an immediate all-around upgrade from Badie. Two months ago, Coleman told The Post that he’d “really just talked about pass protection” in a pre-draft interview with Broncos staff, and they drilled him in situational work in anticipating his assignments for blitz pickups.

The Washington product played all four of his collegiate seasons for Fisch, a one-time Broncos assistant who’s part of the coaching trees of Mike Shanahan and Sean McVay. Coleman told The Post in February, too, that Washington and Denver “run the same schemes,” and he felt confident, from an initial meeting, that he could catch on to Payton and Davis Webb’s offense quickly.

“We just hit it off right off the bat,” Coleman said Saturday, recalling that initial combine meeting. “As soon as I walked in, I felt the energy, and really the love, from the start. And went in there, and we just talked some ball, and just crushed it.

“And when I went up there on a visit,” Coleman continued, noting a pre-draft top-30 visit in Denver, “all I kept hearing was they were really impressed with my interview at the combine.”

Coleman’s durability, despite his size, is a definite concern: he’s averaged less than 4 yards per carry in the final four games of both his 2024 and 2025 seasons. An ankle injury hampered his production down the stretch in his senior year in particular, as he finished with a middling 758 rushing yards on 4.9 yards per carry last winter.

The running back, for his part, pointed to his declining production in 2025 as an injury-related coaching decision.

“Coach Fisch knew that I was a Sunday player,” Coleman said, “and ultimately, it was about my future. So, just being smart there.”

Coleman, though, has been Washington’s far-and-away bell-cow back in 2024 and 2025. That won’t be his role in Denver, where he’ll likely provide instant third-down work — Badie played 18% of the Broncos’ total snaps last season — and take some occasional early-down bruising off Dobbins and Harvey.

The Washington back won’t gleam as bright as the grills, perhaps, in rookie-year grunt work in Denver. But in due time, too, the Coleman-Harvey duo could shine as the Broncos’ backfield of the future.

“Right after the visit,” Coleman said, “I knew I was going to be a Denver Bronco. And it was always God’s plan.

“It worked out how it was supposed to.”

He has already come further than anyone could’ve reasonably expected, a walk-on safety at Texas who molded himself into an All-American and legitimate NFL Draft prospect this spring. And Taaffe has existed, for two months, in the carefree limbo that comes with the utter lack of choice over his future. He’s done pre-draft training in Austin, Texas. He’s played golf. He’s hopped on countless calls with NFL teams. And his mind has wandered, naturally, to old teammates who could become new again.

Recently, after a pre-draft Zoom with new Broncos defensive passing-game coordinator Robert Livingston, Taaffe told Broncos cornerback and former Longhorns buddy Jahdae Barron that it’d be “awesome” to play with him again.

Barron, however, has learned such dreams are not so simple.

“He was like, ‘You don’t even know,'” Taaffe said, describing Barron’s advice. “Don’t even fixate on a team. Don’t even fixate on a round.”

Such is life, in particular, as a Denver draft target, as such targets are usually fairly unaware they’re actually targets. Numerous agents across the NFL landscape share similar stories of minimal pre-draft communication with this Broncos regime before their client suddenly received a call from Sean Payton. Take Barron, who told reporters on a post-draft conference call last year — shortly after Denver swooped on him at pick No. 20 in the first round — that he “truly didn’t know it was coming.”

Between Payton and general manager George Paton, the Broncos have built a particular reputation for holding pre-draft cards close to their vests. Their top-30 visits, where NFL clubs host prospects at their facilities to gather further intel, are often smokescreens. Predicting their draft leanings is often a fruitless endeavor, for the media and for players themselves.

Let’s try anyway.

Across the last two months, The Denver Post has spoken to hundreds of league sources to collect information on the Broncos’ draft process — visits, calls, needs, general leanings — and the countless flavors of prospects they’re coveting.��Welcome to “The Horse” — a Broncos-specific 2026 NFL Draft guide (and a play on ).

Coming off a 14-3 regular season and a blockbuster move for receiver Jaylen Waddle, Payton, Paton and company enter this cycle with no first-round pick and just seven choices in total. The Broncos still have plenty of flexibility to add key contributors; they’ll likely flip some capital to move up or back at some point once the festivities kick off this coming Thursday.

Here’s the breakdown.

The picks

Day 2, Friday:��No. 62 (second round)

Day 3, Saturday: Nos. 108, 111 (fourth round); No. 170 (fifth round); Nos. 246, 256, 257 (seventh round)

Fun fact: The Broncos can become the first NFL team to draft both Mr. Irrelevant and Mr. Slightly-More-Relevant since the seven-round modern era began in 1994. For the last three decades, no team has ever selected the last two picks of the draft back-to-back.

The needs, in order of importance

1.��Tight end.��Broken record here. The Broncos still view 2025 signee Evan Engram as a “key piece” and want to “add to his workload,” as Payton said in his pre-draft presser Thursday. But Denver explored potential upgrades or alternatives in free agency before the price got too high, and the 31-year-old Engram’s contract is up one way or another after this year. Denver desperately needs a young, athletic target for Bo Nix who can be a factor both as a blocker and as a receiver. There are quite a few such types in this draft.

2. Inside linebacker. Denver brought back captain Alex Singleton and ascending reserve-turned-starter Justin Strnad on multi-year deals this offseason, but cut Dre Greenlaw after an injury-plagued 2025. The Broncos are planning to deploy edge rusher Jonah Elliss inside, but that shouldn’t preclude Denver from dipping into a pretty solid ILB class. It’d make sense to take a high-upside ‘backer who can play behind and alongside Denver’s starting duo in 2026 while developing for the future.

3. Running back. On paper, the Broncos’ one-two punch of J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey is solid. The thing about paper is that it tears. Quite easy. Denver’s rushing attack cratered after Dobbins’ season-ending injury last year, and the Broncos can’t count on the veteran to play 17 games. They’ll be looking to add a third RB as either a change-of-pace upgrade from veteran Jaleel McLaughlin or a third-down upgrade from Tyler Badie.

4. Offensive line. As presently constructed, Denver will roll the same starting front out for the third straight year. That’s great for continuity. But the Broncos haven’t once pursued high-end draft talent on their offensive front in the Payton era, instead preferring to develop seventh-round picks and undrafted free agents. Starting left guard Ben Powers is entering the final year of his deal, and tackles Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey have both cleared 30.

5. Safety.��Here’s a sneaky one. Veteran Brandon Jones is entering the final year of his contract, and starter Talanoa Hufanga had been frequently bitten by the injury bug before playing in every game last year for Denver. Offseason signee Tycen Anderson profiles as more of a special-teams ace, and a young piece here would make a lot of sense.

The sinister six

At Thursday’s pre-draft conference, Paton offered an unusually forthcoming tidbit: Denver has “six players,” the general manager said, that it favors should they be available at No. 62. The Broncos have honed in on the crop available between roughly Nos. 40 to 75 on their board, Paton also said, to arrive at that determination.

Here’s a guess at those potential six, informed by learned intel and positional needs, that Denver could be favoring.

DT Caleb Banks, Florida

If Banks weren’t facing some very real injury concerns, he’d be a first-round pick. Possibly top-15. The��if��could drop Banks into the Broncos’ lap. He played just three games in 2025 with a foot injury, and . He also stands 6-foot-6, weighs 327 pounds, racked up 4.5 sacks from the interior in 2024, and . Risk. Reward.

OT Travis Burke, Memphis

A massive pre-draft riser. Literally massive. Burke measured 6-foot-8 and three-quarters at the combine, had an excellent season at Memphis in 2025, and has played at both right and left tackle in a five-year collegiate career. Denver’s done plenty of work here: meeting with Burke at his Pro Day and conducting a Zoom call with him. A source told The Post that multiple Broncos area scouts had a third-to-fourth-round grade on Burke, which could make this a slight reach at No. 62, but Burke would be off the board by the time the fourth round rolled in.

LB Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh

It’s wholly rare to find a linebacker who can capably hold their own in man coverage against tight ends or running backs. Louis, a safety-LB hybrid, can be that guy. He ranked in the top four at his position in every single speed and agility drill at the combine, and has proven ball production (six INTs combined between 2024 and 2025). The size — weighing at 220 pounds — is a slight concern against the run, but Louis could be an excellent, versatile piece in Vance Joseph’s defense.

G Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon

There’s no way Pregnon slides to Denver. Right? Probably not. The Oregon product has visited with a handful of teams who sit in the late-first-round to early-second-round range, and will likely fly off the board shortly after consensus top guard Olaivavega Ioane gets snapped up. If Pregnon — a Denver native — slides a bit into Day 2, though, the Broncos could look to move up. Denver did a top-30 visit with him, which raises the antenna on a prospect they seem to have little shot at with their current slot.

TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

Stowers set the modern combine record for all tight ends with a 45.5-inch vertical, so let’s start there. He ran a faster 40-yard dash than first-round WR prospects Makai Lemon and Carnell Tate, and profiles more as a hybrid receiving weapon rather than a true tight end. Drafting Stowers could bring an end to Engram’s time in Denver, as Stowers doesn’t profile as a piece that Payton would trust to stay on the field in blocking situations.

RB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas

One NFL assistant coach who spoke with The Post on this year’s running-back class described Washington’s 2025 season as a “tale of two halves,” but noted his size and speed — a 4.33-second 40-yard-dash at 223 pounds — “might fit” what Denver’s looking for in a third back. The traits are all there, and the consistency isn’t.

The top-30 visits

Here’s a run-through of every Post-confirmed prospect who’s taken a top-30 visit with the Broncos.

DT Caleb Banks, Florida:��As much potential as an interior pass-rusher as anybody at his position, but the foot injuries are tough to swallow.

DT Uar Bernard, International Player Pathway: Literally the most athletic defensive tackle in the history of the NFL pre-draft cycle. The issue: he’s never played a snap of professional football.

TE Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M:��Classic blocking Y-type tight end who could have a tinge more receiving upside than he showed in college, with a career-best 19 catches last year.

RB Kaelon Black, Indiana:��A combine snub after a 1,060-yard rushing season for the national-champion Hoosiers. He’ll be 25 in October. A possible Day 3 fit.

OT Jude Bowry, Boston College:��High-ceiling, developmental, mid-round prospect who jumped 34.5 inches at the combine.

RB Jonah Coleman, Washington:��Steady, solid back who doesn’t wow but doesn’t make many mistakes. Denver might have to move into the third round to get him.

WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana:��This visit happened before the Waddle trade. Cooper will go somewhere in the first round.

ILB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU:��4.47-second 40-yard dash, 40-inch vertical jump at 234 pounds. Phew. A potential fourth-round difference-maker.

G Josh Gesky, Illinois:��Underrated, productive left guard in college who ran a 4.94-second 40-yard dash and had a 33-inch vertical at Illinois’s Pro Day. Would be a seventh-round or PFA target.

TE Justin Joly, NC State:��Only 6-foot-3, but a productive receiver who had 49 catches and seven touchdowns in 2025. Could be right there in the fourth round.

DT Chris McClellan, Mizzou: Draft riser who racked up six sacks last year.

LB Dasan McCullough, Nebraska: Hybrid-type linebacker who never quite found a consistent role in collegiate football but has intriguing size (6-foot-5, 235 pounds).

DT Christen Miller, Georgia:��321-pound nose tackle who can be a consistent presence in the middle of an NFL defensive line. Might not be there at 62.

OT Gavin Ortega, Weber State:��Sleeper! A late visit this cycle, Ortega was terrific in pass protection at Weber State and should have some versatility at several spots at the NFL level.

G Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon:��24-year-old strongman who could be an instant starter, but probably won’t land in Denver.

OT Paul Rubelt, UCF:��Another skyscraper. Rubelt stands 6-foot-10, and the Broncos will have a good read on him from watching Harvey’s tape last year.

TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt:��Athletic marvel who could be gone well before Denver could grab him at the back of the second.

OLB Josh Weru, International Player Pathway:��A converted rugby player who’s studied tape of Nik Bonitto for a year and has been timed at a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. Obvious PFA target.

The larger-scale takeaways from all this: the Broncos are pretty intent on evaluating both top-end and sleeper talent across the defensive line, and are exploring high-upside offensive linemen.

The runners

Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love might just be the best outright player in this draft, regardless of position. After him, though, there’s an unusually steep drop to the next tier of running-back options, a glut that stretches anywhere from the back of the first round to the back of Day 3.

Payton said at league meetings in late March that running back was a position that “could get addressed, if the opportunity presents itself.” It will present itself next week, no matter how the chips fall. Washington, Coleman and Black have already been covered here; for more options, The Post spoke with an NFL assistant coach who’s done extensive work on this RB class for thoughts on the post-Love crop.

Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

Likely draft slot:��Late-1st, early-2nd round

Love’s complementary option for the Fighting Irish, Price carries lead-back NFL potential in his own right. His per-touch production over the last two years at Notre Dame has been ridiculous. Price, though, caught just 15 passes across three seasons and will need to develop three-down value.

Coach’s comments: “If you want to hand the ball off to somebody, I think Jadarian Price is just as good, if not better (than Love). So it wouldn’t surprise me at all if someone took him late-first.”

Emmett Johnson, Nebraska

Likely draft slot:��3rd-to-4th round

The testing wasn’t inspiring, as the 202-pound Johnson ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash. The tape and the production, though, tell a different story. Johnson led the Big Ten in rushing last year (1,451 yards), and caught 46 passes in 12 games.

Coach’s comments:��“The more you watch that kid, the more he looks like LeSean McCoy at Pittsburgh.”

Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest

Likely draft slot:��Day 3

Huge pop here, as Claiborne ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and has standout agility. He increased his yards-per-carry average every season of his collegiate career, but has less-than-ideal size at 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds.

Coach’s comments:��“Best speed-and-space back in the draft … can score from anywhere at any time.”

Kaytron Allen, Penn State

Likely draft slot:��Day 3

Allen, rather quietly, became Penn State’s all-time leading rusher this past fall, and ran for 1,303 yards and 15 touchdowns in a rough overall season for the program. The athleticism doesn’t stand out, but the motor does.

Coach’s comments:��“He was the most cerebral back I evaluated. He’s extremely smart. Football IQ is very high … that’s a guy that won’t get you beat, that you’d love to have on your team.”

The nuts and bolts

A young Joker? Clemson’s Adam Randall could be an incredibly intriguing fit in Payton’s offense. A receiver-turned-running back, the 232-pound Randall ran for 10 touchdowns last year and caught 36 passes in his first year playing full-time RB. In a best-case scenario, Randall could become a matchup-threat TE/RB hybrid from the backfield; Denver has enough interest in him that a coach flew out this past week to visit him, a source said.

QB options. Denver is set to roll its same quarterback room from last season into 2026, with Nix, backup Jarrett Stidham and QB3 Sam Ehlinger all under contract. But the Broncos have been active in evaluating young depth in this class. Quarterbacks coach Logan Kilgore has hopped on Zoom calls with Rutgers’ Athan Kaliakmanis, Illinois’s Luke Altmyer and Minnesota-Morehead (DII)’s Jack Strand. Denver also sees Georgia Tech’s Haynes King — a 6-foot-3 athlete who ran for 953 yards and 15 touchdowns last season — as a potential Taysom Hill-type, a source said.

Big-bodied targets. No matter how much WR depth the Broncos accumulate, Payton will always love big receivers. A few notable prospects Denver has called about or hosted Zooms with: Baylor’s Josh Cameron (6-foot-2, 872 yards, nine TDs in 2025); Texas Tech’s Caleb Douglas (6-foot-3, 846 yards, 7 TDs); SMU’s Jordan Hudson (6-foot-1, 766 yards, six TDs); TCU’s Joseph Manjack IV (6-foot-3, 579 yards, three TDs); St. Thomas’s David Hayes (6-foot-4, 790 yards, 10 TDs); and Michigan’s Donaven McCulley (6-foot-4, 588 yards, three TDs). Keep an eye on McCulley in particular, as a source said newly-crowned Broncos OC Davis Webb was on a Zoom with him — notably different from normal pre-draft calls with position coaches or scouts.

Local day? Denver hosted Wyoming QB-turned-TE Evan Svoboda and OL Jack Walsh at their facility earlier this week, among others, for what sources termed a “local day.” This, however, wasn’t open to anyone, as multiple prospects from Colorado and CSU weren’t in attendance. Svoboda is an interesting project who caught 11 passes for the Cowboys this past year.

Broncos draft previews
Offense: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Offensive line
Defense: Defensive line | Outside linebackers | Inside linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties

Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Re-signed J.K. Dobbins to a two-year deal worth up to $20 million; re-signed Jaleel McLaughlin to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal; re-signed Tyler Badie to an exclusive-rights free-agent deal; re-signed fullback Adam Prentice to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal; re-signed Cody Schrader, Deuce Vaughn to futures deals

Under contract:��Dobbins, RJ Harvey, McLaughlin, Badie, Prentice, Schrader, Vaughn

Need scale (1-10):��8. Gang’s all back. Some might view that as a good thing, given that the Broncos had a legitimately top-tier rushing attack before Dobbins suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 10. Some might view that as a bad thing, given that the Broncos’ run-game consistency crumpled after that Dobbins injury. Regardless, head coach Sean Payton acknowledged at league meetings in Arizona earlier this month that running back “could be a position that gets addressed, if the opportunity presents itself.”

The opportunity will present itself in this draft class, where there’s a thin top-end group beyond Notre Dame standout Jeremiyah Love but several intriguing Day 2 and 3 fits for Denver. Whether it’s simply a complementary upgrade from Badie and McLaughlin or a potential top-end back, the Broncos need to add more depth to this room, given Dobbins’ injury history.

Top Five

Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

Love might just be the best overall prospect in this draft, given both the quality of his profile and the steep drop-off in the crop behind him. He finished third in Heisman voting after racking up 1,652 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns in 13 games in 2025, and ran a 4.36 40-yard-dash at the combine at 212 pounds. Plus, he’s got fairly low tread on the tires after spending much of his career at Notre Dame in a time-share. Don’t be surprised if a team swings on him in the top five in Pittsburgh.

Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

That’s right — two backs from Notre Dame at the top of this group. Price seemed like a potential fit for Denver at pick No. 30, before the Broncos jettisoned that in the Jaylen Waddle trade. There’s almost no chance Price falls to the bottom of the second round, after rising consistently through the pre-draft process. What hurts his value is the utter lack of pass-catching (15 total catches in three years at Notre Dame) and pass-protection production, but the upside as a runner is real: 674 rushing yards on six yards a carry with 11 touchdowns last year for the Fighting Irish.

Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas

Hello! Washington Jr. floated early in the pre-draft process as a Day 3 name, suddenly charmed the masses with a position-leading 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine, and now could rise all the way into the second round in a thin RB group. He’s a heck of an athlete, with a 39-inch vertical at 223 pounds, and combines straight-line speed and heft unlike any back in this class. The problem, for Denver: he gave up seven pressures in 81 pass-blocking snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Still, the sheer upside is tantalizing at pick No. 62.

Jonah Coleman, Washington

Coleman checks almost every box as a complementary back. He hardly fumbled in college. He ran for 15 touchdowns in 2025. He produced yards-after-catch value out of the backfield. He tackles pass protection with aplomb. There may not be a better on-paper fit next to Harvey and Dobbins than Coleman in this class, and the Broncos have done plenty of homework on him. Coleman, though, could reasonably fall in the no-man’s-land between Denver’s No. 62 and No. 108 picks, possibly necessitating a Day 2 trade to nab him.

Emmett Johnson, Nebraska

Johnson profiles as a short-yardage complementary bruiser who could rise to an eventual bell-cow back in the NFL. After a couple of years of complementary production at Nebraska, he broke out with a Big Ten-leading 1,451 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025. He’s a proven threat out of the backfield, too, with 46 catches last year. The top-end speed is limited, though, for a back who weighed in at the combine at just 202 pounds.

More Broncos options

Kaelon Black, Indiana

There are plenty of similarities here to McLaughlin, actually. Black was a former two-star recruit out of high school who played four years at James Madison with middling production, transferred to Indiana in 2024, didn’t play much his first season, and suddenly busted out with 1,040 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns for the national-champion Hoosiers this past year. He’s a grinder, and Payton loves grinders. The Broncos had Black on a top-30 visit. If the Broncos want to look at other positions in the second and fourth rounds, Black could still be waiting in the seventh.

Nick Singleton, Penn State

Upside. Singleton has red marks galore across his profile: he ran for just 4.5 yards per carry in an underwhelming 2025 season and then broke his foot at the Senior Bowl, which has tanked his stock. If teams believe his 2024 tape is real, though — when Singleton ran for 6.4 yards a carry and caught 41 passes for five touchdowns out of the backfield — he could be a Day 2 riser. There’s tantalizing raw athleticism here, and Singleton would bring a different profile to Denver’s room, at 6-foot-0 and 219 pounds.

J’Mari Taylor, Virginia

The athleticism doesn’t pop here. Taylor measured at 5-foot-10 and 199 pounds at the combine, and ranked at the back of the running-back pack in vertical and broad jump. He could provide immediate third-down value, though, with 43 catches in 13 games in 2025, and ran for 14 touchdowns for the Cavaliers last season. Wouldn’t be a sexy pick, but would be a good fit for the Broncos’ current room.

Adam Randall, Clemson

Here’s one of the more interesting prospects in this running-back crop. Randall was a decently productive depth receiver for three years at Clemson, moved to running back for his senior season, and promptly ran for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the Tigers’ backfield. He could become a true bruiser, at 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds, and brings ready-made receiver skills. Randall’s done a Zoom with Denver; this would be a low-risk, high-upside play on Day 3.

CJ Donaldson Jr., Ohio State

If Denver wants a big-bodied hammer to take short-yardage workload off Dobbins and Harvey’s plates, look right here. Donaldson stands 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, and has run for 10-plus touchdowns in each of his last three seasons between West Virginia and Ohio State. His upside at the NFL level will hinge on his growth as a receiver out of the backfield.

Not as good as J.K. Dobbins. But a good run nonetheless.

But the time has come to call Merriam-Webster and retire the word from the dictionary because clearly it is misunderstood.

When Dobbins re-signed with the Broncos earlier this month, he popped off on social media when someone questioned paying him for “seven games a season.”

“Go be a fan of a different team; lame (bleep) dude,” Dobbins tweeted. “And don’t try to turn around when I shut down the fluke injury (bleep) up this year.”

The reality is that it would be a fluke if Dobbins stayed healthy.

He has never played a full season in the NFL. He has started 30 of 64 games because of knee, Achilles and foot injuries. He missed the Broncos’ final nine games last season after a hip-drop tackle hurt his foot.

Here’s the thing. I have not interacted with a single person on social media, email or in the community who doesn’t love Dobbins. Or what he did last season. He ranked fifth in the league in rushing when he was sidelined. He emerged as a force in the second halves of games and against stacked boxes.

Dobbins averaged almost a full yard over expected on his carries, and was beloved in the building for his leadership and passion.

So, it was no surprise the Broncos ran it back at running back, especially after they balked at Travis Etienne Jr.’s asking price and became a stalking horse in negotiations given his desire to return home to Louisiana.

Appearing recently on NFL Network, Dobbins remained delusional about his medical files. His optimism is ideal for the Broncos.

But if the team does not add a running back in the draft it will be a mistake.

First, hear Dobbins out.

“We’ve got a great O-line, we’ve got everything. We’ve got an embarrassment of riches on this team of talent,” said Dobbins, who received $8 million guaranteed in his new contract. “I’m excited. I really am, because, call it what it is, I got hurt, I missed the last, what, seven games in the regular season. I’m fresh. I’m gonna be fresh and I’m gonna be pissed off because I’m tired of the unfortunate stuff. I know that I can do it. It’s gonna happen this year. It’s gonna be great.”

Dobbins should believe he will become a stranger to the trainer’s room. That it is his turn for good luck. He deserves it.

The Broncos, though, cannot use hope as a strategy. That is what happened in the AFC Championship Game. Remember how that turned out?

The Broncos were awful on the ground. While R.J. Harvey’s slump continued, the offensive line was not blameless, picking the wrong time to play its worst game.

Denver cannot hinge its offensive balance and performance on Dobbins’ health. It is not fair to the team or Dobbins.

The Broncos have to draft a running back. Filling out the offseason roster with Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie is fine. But if both make the team, then something has gone horribly wrong.

Dobbins, a fighter who has overcome injuries that would have ended careers, will open the season as the starter. The Broncos need a closer, and not an in-case-of-emergency-break-glass option.

There is a possibility Harvey, who became a weapon in the passing game, shows up in training camp and is more aggressive between the tackles. But he has to prove it.

Dobbins turns 28 in December. Even if the Broncos trust Dobbins to become durable, picking his successor is logical.

We all know what needs to be done. Couple “El Toro” with Geico.

There is a realistic possibility that Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price and Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr. will be available when Denver selects at No. 62.

If Price is on the board, the Broncos should not pass on him. They like him, Price believes, based on his impressive interview at the NFL Combine.

Jeremiyah Love might be the best player in the draft. He split time with Price. That should tell you all you need to know.

Former Broncos tackle Ryan Harris, who serves as an analyst for Irish games, calls Price a “minotaur, an absolute horse who is going to have a great career.”

Based on college tape and combine performances, Price projects as a plus-NFL starter with a higher ceiling than Harvey. He brings size, and is capable of getting dirty work yards, while remaining elusive in space.

Does he project as a three-down starter? Not yet.

As a rookie, he would not need to fill that role. Harvey can play on passing downs. Price could provide a way to keep Dobbins available, and also brings special teams value in the return game, which will be needed if McLaughlin or Badie don’t make the final cut.

Washington works, too. He has the speed to turn any carry into a gash play, and at 223 pounds, he is bigger than any back on the roster. But will he go north-and-south with conviction?

This question hangs over Washington and Harvey. And it is also the reason Sean Payton cut Audric Estime last summer, failing to convince him to run over defenders instead of around them.

The truth of this season lies not in the defense, Jaylen Waddle’s fit, a grizzly bear schedule or Bo Nix’s ankle. It is in the backfield.

The only thing standing between the Broncos and a Super Bowl run is the ability to consistently run.

Dobbins can do it. He has shown it. Trusting him for 17 games, however, is too dangerous. His misfortune derailed last season. And there was nothing fluky about it.

The Broncos need Dobbins. But not as much as they need insurance.

After months bandying about the term joker to describe his team’s need for a matchup-threat pass-catcher, Sean Payton sat with the media at the NFL owners’ meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, last year and confirmed Denver had gotten its guy. The Evan Engram signing was the Broncos’ chips-in move, and Payton told reporters that the Broncos had successfully convinced the tight end to sign in part because of that vision of his role: a chaos agent that could be shifted at will to take advantage of opposing defenses.

“Having had players like him,” Payton said then in Florida, “I’m excited.”

Engram’s potential supervillainy for opposing defenses, however, never quite reached its full potential. A year later, the Broncos have swung on another piece who can be a ceiling-raiser for Payton’s offense: receiver Jaylen Waddle, whose arrival has evidently excited Denver’s head coach so much that . After Engram played just 42% of Denver’s snaps last year, though, Payton will face months of questions on how he plans to utilize the speedy Waddle. Particularly considering the Broncos’ haul to trade for him and a fourth-rounder (sending their 2026 first-round and third-round pick to Miami).

That process will begin on Monday in Phoenix at this year’s league meetings, where the Broncos’ brass will gather for their most extensive media availability since the end-of-year press conferences in late January. General manager George Paton, owner Greg Penner and president Damani Leech are all slated to speak to reporters Monday, while Payton will talk at a coaches’ roundtable Tuesday morning.

It’ll be a chance to gather broad insights into how Denver’s decision-makers view the decisions that have shaped their offseason, as well as a host of key topics that’ll shape 2026 training camp and beyond. Here are 10 questions that bear answering in Arizona this coming week.

How do the Broncos plan to get the most out of Waddle?

Denver, again, does not have a first-round pick in 2026. The Waddle trade, by simple math, is contingent on the fact that he can provide more value across the next few seasons than a theoretical draftee at pick No. 30 could provide. That’s significant. Particularly since Payton organizations haven’t traded for a wide receiver since Bethel Johnson in 2006.

Waddle played 60% of his snaps from the slot as a rookie in 2021 for the Dolphins, but saw his usage there hover around 25% for the last four seasons under Mike McDaniel. It’ll be fascinating to see if Payton views Waddle more as an inside or outside threat, and how he can open defenses up for Courtland Sutton and the rest of Denver’s current WR corps.

So, uh, what did ‘opportunistically aggressive’ mean to you guys?

This Penner term, said in his postseason presser, . It was ridiculed as the Broncos sat pretty in free agency and signed back most of the pieces of their 2025 corps to short-term deals. It was then praised as the Broncos swung the blockbuster Waddle deal.

Denver’s free-agency approach, though, was interesting by all accounts — set strict market caps at running back and tight end, test the waters on a variety of pieces but never actually make an offer, and let John Franklin-Myers walk for a likely fourth-round compensation pick in 2027. Were the Broncos trying to preserve cap space in the years before an eventual Bo Nix extension? Is that fourth-round pick really��that��valuable? Was Payton really so focused on that he declined to gather any free-agency intel (mostly kidding)?

“Free agency was tough,” Payton told Kay Adams in that video.

Hmm.

Where does the timeline stand for the new stadium at Burnham Yard?

The Colorado Department of Transportation has officially set a price on the Burnham Yard sale to the Broncos — $45.8 million, a deal scheduled to be finalized May 15. The Broncos’ public messaging, however, is adamant that the area remains a “preferred site,” as the franchise has a variety of factors to iron out that are quietly making the planned 2031 stadium opening a bit tricky.

The Broncos are still working through negotiations with public utility Denver Water, which is eyeing Lot M of the current Empower Field site for part of its facility relocation — a move that could bring some city-planning issues. Broncos officials are also still working through negotiations with SRM Concrete, which owns a concrete plant and several pieces of land smack-dab in the middle of the proposed Burnham stadium area that total an appraised property value . And negotiations with the La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood on a community-benefits agreement have yet to begin.

How’s Bo Nix?

Duh. Any news��about Nix’s ankle rehab has been quiet��since the Broncos quarterback took to the media to��quell concerns about a preexisting ankle issue following some strange post-season messaging from Payton.

The only Nix update since then has come in early March, when he and wife Izzy announced the birth of their first child (and Izzy also took a picture of Nix walking out of the hospital without a boot). In the grand scheme of things, much more important than Nix’s ankle. But Nix also made clear that he’d be back for OTAs in May, an important step in his rehab. It’ll be important for the Broncos’ brass to note if he’s still on track there.

How do Payton and Paton view their needs now, after free agency?

This encompasses several key sub-questions. Are the Broncos comfortable with running back their J.K. Dobbins-RJ Harvey-Tyler Badie-Jaleel McLaughlin quadrant at running back? (Probably not, if pre-draft activity is any indication). Are they looking to move on from Engram, or trying to unlock him at tight end under new play-caller Davis Webb? Are they set with Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad as their starting ILB duo for 2026, and why did they cut Dre Greenlaw? Do they want to replace Franklin-Myers through the draft, the external market, or internal development?

Make no mistake, as healthy top-to-bottom as Denver is, there are still a few notable holes on this roster. This week should provide some strong hints at how the Broncos see their roster now.

“We’ve got another guy that just came in — Jaylen Waddle, you know what I’m saying?” Dobbins said. “Pick your poison, because we’ve got Courtland Sutton, we’ve got the young Pat Bryant, we’ve got a great O-line, we’ve got everything.

“We’ve got an embarrassment of riches, on this team of talent.”

It could soon become a full-fledged humiliation of riches if Denver’s recent offseason moves are any indication. After re-upping with several names during free agency, the Broncos are currently set to run back the same backfield they deployed in 2025: Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin. But they have a clear interest in further upgrading that room.

Before ultimately turning back to Dobbins, the Broncos checked on 25-year-old RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. in free agency, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Denver Post. Even after Denver re-signed Dobbins, they still expressed interest in adding Rodriguez. The former Commander , seeing a greater path to touches after former Jaguars star Travis Etienne Jr. left in free agency.

Now, Denver has clearly turned its attention to evaluating April’s draft for upgrades at RB3, needing another reliable piece in the room behind the oft-injured Dobbins and second-year back Harvey. Sources told The Post that the Broncos are set to host Washington running back Jonah Coleman and Indiana running back Kaelon Black on top-30 draft visits (meeetings in which NFL teams can bring prospects at their facilities to gain more intel for their evaluations).

Either would present interesting options for Denver, at slightly different points in April’s draft. The 5-foot-8, 220-pound Coleman would likely be a target at Denver’s No. 62 second-round selection or its pair of fourth-round picks (Nos. 108 and 111). He’s a classic power back who can do a little bit of everything — 15 rushing touchdowns in 2025, with 31 catches for 354 yards.

Even more tantalizing, Coleman has as safe a profile as any running back in this class. He fumbled twice in 157 rushing attempts last year, allowed one sack, and didn’t drop a pass, according to Pro Football Focus data. Sounds like a Sean Payton guy, particularly considering his glee in talking pass-protection.

“The way they run protections, they described it to me — is pretty much the same thing that we ran in college,” Coleman told The Post at the combine, of an initial meeting with Denver. “Slightly adjusted, just depending on the game plan and stuff. So coming in and learning fast, being able to play fast, is ultimately the goal.”

Black, meanwhile, was a combine snub despite rushing for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns for the national-champion Hoosiers in 2025. He’s less of a sure thing, with fewer pass-blocking reps than Coleman and just eight combined receptions across two years in Indiana. If Denver wants a change-of-pace back who can break off chunk gains both inside and outside the tackles, though, .

From Denver’s assortment of known draft visits thus far, too, it’s clear the Broncos are eyeing help at the line of scrimmage and tight end. The organization clearly needs a youth infusion in the wings behind a stable starting offensive front, and Denver won’t be content to bring back the exact same middle-of-the-road TE room — Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull — to Week 1 in 2026.

Including Coleman and Black, The Post has confirmed nine of the Broncos’ permissible 30 top-30 draft visits. Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of some of Denver’s activity, with a month to go before commissioner Roger Goodell takes the stage at the draft in Pittsburgh.

Quarterback

Confirmed top-30 visits:��None

Intel:��Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had a Zoom call with��new Broncos QBs coach Logan Kilgore on Wednesday, according to Kaliakmanis’s agency, Grady Sports. Take most pre-draft calls with a slight grain of salt, as Denver would be operating in malpractice if they didn’t meet with prospects regardless of positional need. Still, it’s entirely possible that Payton could look to bring in a developmental quarterback to compete for a No. 2 or No. 3 job — particularly as Denver has a prime asset in backup Jarrett Stidham.

Kaliakmanis has ideal size at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, and threw for 3,124 yards and 20 touchdowns last year for Rutgers. He could be a seventh-round target.

Running back

Confirmed top-30 visits:��Coleman, Black

Intel: Interestingly, if Denver’s trying to keep any potential interest in Arkansas RB Mike Washington Jr. close to the vest, it’s doing a good job. has had several top-30 visits — but none with the Broncos, a source said.

Wide receiver

Confirmed top-30 visits: Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

Intel: Well, the Cooper visit was pretty much moot. His camp, naturally, no longer expects Denver to be in play for him in April after the Broncos sent their 2026 first-round pick to the Dolphins in the Jaylen Waddle trade. And a previously-scheduled Denver visit with possible first-rounder KC Concepcion (of Texas A&M) was cancelled after the Waddle deal, a source told The Post.

So, highly unlikely the Broncos target a receiver unless it’s a seventh-round flier. In that case, keep an eye on Michigan’s Donaven McCulley, who has ridiculous size at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds. He’s had a Zoom call with new Denver receivers coach Ronald Curry and a few other staffers, a source said. Mississippi State’s Brenen Thompson, Cincinnati’s Cyrus Allen and Texas Tech’s Caleb Douglas have also had calls with Denver.

Tight end

Confirmed top-30 visits: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt; Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M

Intel: All-American Stowers has rocketed up boards after an earth-shattering combine, setting an . Not a typo! The red-zone potential in Payton’s offense is massive. But Stowers might not make it to Denver’s first pick at No. 62. Boerkircher is one of several intriguing Day 2 or Day 3 options for the Broncos; he’s caught just 38 passes in his collegiate career, but is a heavy and capable blocker at in-line tight end.

Offensive line

Confirmed top-30 visits: Jude Bowry, Boston College; Josh Gesky, Illinois

Intel: Expect Denver to find some help here. Bowry is a raw, developmental tackle who recorded the fourth-highest vertical jump (34.5 inches) of any lineman at the combine. Gesky is a sleeper who ran a 4.94-second 40-yard-dash at Illinois’s Pro Day in mid-March, and has been trained in the offseason by former nine-year NFL starter Tony Pashos.

Denver has also had a pro-day meeting and has an upcoming Zoom scheduled with gigantic Memphis tackle Travis Burke, who measures at 6-foot-9 and 325 pounds. Burke had a strong season at Memphis in 2025 and could be another later-round option.

Defensive line

Confirmed top-30 visits:��Chris McClellan, Mizzou

Intel: Denver could look to toss in another body into the room to compete for John Franklin-Myers’ old job. Hence, the McClellan visit. Navy’s Landon Robinson, a defensive tackle who racked up 14.5 sacks across three seasons of college ball, also had a post-pro day phone call with Denver, he told The Post.

Linebacker

Confirmed top-30 visits:��Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU

Intel:��Athletically, there are few more intriguing linebacker prospects in 2026 than Elarms-Orr. He ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and jumped 40 inches at the combine, while measuring at 6-foot-2 and 234 pounds. That’s nuts. He made plays all over the field last year for TCU, with 130 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks; he could step right in and compete for LB3 in Denver after the Broncos cut Dre Greenlaw.

Secondary

Confirmed top-30 visits:��None

Intel:��Don’t expect Denver to be especially active here. One agent who spoke with a Broncos representative recently told The Post that the Broncos aren’t looking to draft a cornerback in 2026, with a stacked room and other needs. Denver has done calls with Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings and Washington cornerback Ephesians Prysock, though.

Denver made the biggest splash of its offseason — and one of the biggest single moves of the spring in the NFL — on Tuesday when it landed Miami receiver Jaylen Waddle in a blockbuster trade.

A quiet opening week in free agency moved into a different light for many fans and observers when news of the trade broke.

The Broncos’ run of retentions early on in free agency inspired plenty of run-it-back vibes, but now Waddle’s addition gives Denver an element it didn’t have in 2025 and, really, hasn’t had for the better part of a decade.

He is a true take-the-top-off threat, dangerous after the catch and in the middle of the field and capable of playing multiple positions. He will help add diversity and explosion to the Broncos’ passing game, but he can also have an impact in the running game, not so much by blocking but by keeping defenses honest in how many players they can commit to the box on early downs.

“I’m here to help in every fashion,” Waddle told reporters Wednesday.

Denver also cracked the lid on external free agent signings, agreeing to a one-year deal with former Cincinnati safety and core special teamer Tycen Anderson. Anderson hasn’t played as much defense as P.J. Locke did, so it����ap unclear exactly how good the Broncos feel about their No. 3 spot behind Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones. Denver’s staff liked what Devon Key showed defensively in practice over the 2025 season.

More broadly, the Broncos are not a finished product. Nobody ever really is in football, especially this time of year. The draft is a month away, and there are still players available via free agency and trade. The search for help rarely, if ever, actually ceases.

“We got J.K. Dobbins in, what, June?” general manager George Paton said last month. “You’re always looking and it never stops. There is always something out there that hopefully can help you.”

With the opening waves of free agency and one tsunami of a trade in the books, here is an updated look at the positions where the Broncos still need help.

Tight end

Tight end, like the next two positions, isn’t a true “must” for Sean Payton and company in a strict sense because the Broncos brought back all of their guys from 2025 between the NFL Combine and the start of free agency.

All the same, that group was underwhelming a year ago. Upgrading should remain a focus for Denver. The question: How? Most of the quality options went quickly in free agency, and that was without much of a list of surefire, major-impact players.

The draft is interesting because there aren’t the top-of-the-board type options like last year (Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren) but the closer late April creeps, the deeper many people believe the tight end crop is on the whole.

Dane Brugler, a draft analyst for The Athletic, recently said on social media that as he grades the group, “I have more draftable TEs in this class than any other I’ve done.”

Still haven't found the bottom of this TE draft class. There are going to be some useful guys still around late rounds/PFA.

I have more draftable TEs in this class than any other I've done.

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler)

Vanderbilt����ap Eli Stowers isn’t likely to be around at No. 62, so trying to land him might require some creativity. Otherwise, the task will be sorting through a raft of mid-to-late-round options and trying to find somebody who can help right away, sure, but who can be a force in the future.

Running back

By the time Jaleel McLaughlin signed a one-year deal, the Broncos had gone 4-of-4 in bringing their 2025 running backs back into the fold. Still, the same role questions that cropped up with that quartet last year remain. Tyler Badie is a good pass protector, but didn’t provide much else. Jaleel McLaughlin is a nice change of pace, but he isn’t a true third-down back because his pass pro is lacking. RJ Harvey is explosive, talented and not a finished product. J.K. Dobbins is one of the best in the business when he’s on the field, but he’s never finished a full season.

The free agent crop is pretty good and well-picked over. Denver was in the mix for Trevor Etienne, but ultimately wasn’t going to go as high as the $13 million a year he got from New Orleans.

Inside linebacker

Denver is down one linebacker on net after bringing Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton back, but also releasing Dre Greenlaw.

Never say never on one more veteran — the Broncos were well past the opening wave of free agency in 2024 when they signed Cody Barton to a one-year deal and he ended up playing 91% of snaps after Singleton tore his ACL in Week 3.

More likely, though, this is a draft and also a development spot for Denver.

The 2026 draft class is considered deep at inside linebacker. Georgia’s CJ Allen and Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez likely won’t last until No. 62. Perhaps somebody like Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr. or Cincinnati’s Jake Golday will be an option there. But there are a ton to choose from.

Not only that, but the Broncos may decide they have a worthy third already in the building. The leading candidate is Jordan Turner, while Levelle Bailey has also flashed. Drew Sanders is a wild card, but at this point can’t be counted on to be a major contributor because of the amount of development time he’s missed.

Defensive line

Denver’s post-John Franklin-Myers plan is pretty clear: A combination of Malcom Roach, Eyioma Uwazruike and second-year man Sai’Vion Jones will be asked to fill in the production void.

Drafting a defensive lineman can’t be ruled out, naturally. Bottom line: There’s not an overwhelming need.

This is a spot, though, where, if the Broncos and a veteran saw eye to eye on a role and an opportunity to play for a contender, there are still good players out there on the market.

Calais Campbell is still playing well and, of course, is a Denver native. He’ll turn 40 in September, but what a story it would be if season No. 19 were a title pursuit in his hometown.

Cam Jordan has a deep history with Sean Payton in New Orleans and can still really rush the passer at 36. Broncos fans, of course, know Shelby Harris well. Denico Autry played less — and missed five games — for Houston this year, but has been part of their terrific defense over the past two years and, even at 34, had a 10.9% pressure rate in 2025, according to Next Gen Stats. He’s been at that mark or better in six of his past eight seasons.

Well, much of the Broncos’ 2026 NFL Draft capital has up and Waddled away.

Denver’s entire outlook come April is radically different, now, after the Broncos gambled a first-round, third-round and fourth-round pick in 2026 for the dynamite addition of star receiver Jaylen Waddle (and a fourth-round pick). Suddenly, general manager Paton has significantly fewer picks to work with, as the Broncos now face the increased importance of hitting a few key roster needs in this year’s class.

The organization’s current arsenal of picks is all over the place: No. 62 (second round), No. 108 (fourth round, from Saints), No. 111 (fourth round, from Dolphins), No. 170 (fifth round), No. 246, No. 256, and No. 257 (seventh round). The clusters there strongly hint that Denver will make some sort of move up or back in the draft order. And with the haul given up for Waddle, it’s easy to see Paton wanting to take advantage of a needy franchise and moving back in April to accumulate some more mid-round capital.

With that in mind, Broncos beat reporters Parker Gabriel and Luca Evans took a new approach to this iteration of The Post’s mock draft: trades were on the table. And very much encouraged.

Once again, The Post used Pro Football Focus’s mock-draft simulator — which also allows trades and approximates fair value in pick swaps — for this exercise. The last mock draft in this space, in early March, had the Broncos selecting Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at the end of the first round. This one is … rather different.

Round 3, pick No. 70: RB Jonah Coleman, Washington

OK, let’s break this down.

There’s a realistic scenario in which the Broncos, now lacking a first-round pick, end up throwing a package together to try and move up for a gem like Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price or Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers. But it’d be difficult to see Paton, who has historically preferred trading back rather than trading up, taking that kind of swing after the Broncos’ trade for Waddle. Instead, The Post explored a scenario in which Paton and the Broncos trade back from No. 62.

In this PFF-massaged but not-impossible development, the Broncos find a trade partner in the Cleveland Browns, who are evidently eager to jump up a few slots to take their guy at the back of the second round. Here, Denver trades pick No. 62 and pick No. 170 for pick No. 70 and pick No. 107 from Cleveland, .

Coleman would fit neatly into the Broncos’ current running-back room, which still needs an injection of juice after re-upping with J.K. Dobbins, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie during free agency. If Denver is still confident in the Dobbins-RJ Harvey tandem, it’ll need a durable running back who can pick up first-down work between the tackles, bruise at the goal line, and bring some third-down heft. Coleman checks every box.

The 5-foot-8, 220-pound back is solid in pass protection, and broke down schemes with Denver’s offensive staff during his NFL Combine meeting with the Broncos. He’s not especially explosive outside the tackles, but ran for 5.5 yards per carry across his collegiate career and had 15 touchdowns on the ground in 2025. He fumbled twice in 551 collegiate carries and dropped one pass in 109 total targets, according to PFF. That’s an NFL-ready ceiling-raiser right there.

Other options considered: RB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas.��Washington is shooting up draft boards after a monster performance at the combine, with a class-leading 4.33 40-yard-dash and a 39-inch vertical jump. The issue for Denver: he hasn’t been good in pass protection in college, and the Broncos need a third back whom Nix trusts in that area.

Round 4, pick No. 107: DL Chris McClellan, Mizzou

Here’s the other Browns slot, which kicks off a hilarious run of three Broncos selections in the span of five picks.

McClellan was Denver’s first known top-30 visit of the pre-draft process, and could factor into Denver’s plan to replace the departed John Franklin-Myers. He projects as more of a nose tackle at 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds — which the Broncos don’t necessarily need, with D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach on multi-year deals — but McClellan has clear pass-rushing upside, with six sacks in 13 games last year. He’d bring another talented young body to compete in the room with veteran Eyioma Uwazurike and 2025 rookie Sai’vion Jones.

Other options considered: TE Michael Trigg, Baylor.��Trigg will likely be sitting there for Denver in the middle rounds of April’s draft. He had terrific production last season, with 50 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns. He played more from the slot than at in-line tight end in 2025, though, which would overlap with the strengths Denver already has at receiver.

Round 4, pick No. 108: S Bud Clark, TCU

The Broncos just signed a safety Thursday, agreeing to a one-year deal with former Bengals reserve Tycen Anderson. Anderson will likely compete for Denver’s third-safety job in 2026, but he profiles more as a special-teams ace. And the Broncos will have some decisions to make regarding Brandon Jones in the upcoming season, as the veteran starter enters the final year of his contract.

Enter Clark, who brings good size (6-foot-1 and 188 pounds), program loyalty (six seasons at TCU) and elite collegiate ball production (15 interceptions and 21 passes defensed across his last four seasons). His abilities in coverage would be an excellent complement next to hard-hitting chaos agent Talanoa Hufanga, and Clark’s lengthy stint in college would likely help his evaluation here in Denver’s eyes.

Other options considered:��Nobody. The Post likes Clark.

Round 4, pick No. 111: G Beau Stephens, Iowa

It’s high time for the Broncos to actually spend some draft capital on an offensive lineman: they’re set to keep the same starting front around Nix for the third straight year, but have several aging starters and upcoming contract questions in that mix. It’s almost a certainty that Denver looks to their offensive line in this class, and Stephens would be a solid option.

Denver scouts Iowa well (see: Riley Moss, 2023 third-round pick), and Stephens grew from a reserve into a top-end starter across five years with the Hawkeyes. He allowed just four quarterback pressures in 304 pass-blocking snaps in 2025, according to PFF, an absurd number. Plus, he’s started solely at left guard the past two seasons — where incumbent Ben Powers’ contract is set to expire after the 2026 season. The only issue here: the arm length and overall athleticism aren’t strong.

Other options considered: LB Bryce Boettcher.��At present, it’d probably be strange for the Broncos to go through April without drafting a linebacker, after cutting Dre Greenlaw at the start of free agency. Boettcher would bring another Oregon standout into the fold, and profiles similarly in makeup and play-style to current Broncos captain Alex Singleton.

Round 6, pick No. 209: FB Eli Heidenreich, Navy

This might require some tequila to be wheeled into the draft room to even think about pulling this off. But, presto! Denver suddenly has a sixth-round pick again.

At the present moment, the Broncos are sitting with three not-especially-valuable picks at the back of the seventh round. It’d be quite hard to imagine Denver taking the second-last and very-last players of April’s draft back-to-back, at compensatory picks No. 256 and No. 257. Therefore, The Post looked for a deal to move up and add an impact Day 3 skill player, and couldn’t pass up on Heidenreich here after packaging all three seventh-rounders for

Heidenreich could be Payton’s new Taysom Hill, in all but size. He has one of the more unique profiles of any player in this 2026 class, running for 499 yards and catching for 941 in his senior season in Navy’s triple-option offense. Is he a receiver? Is he a running back? Is he a fullback with slot-receiver flex? Who knows. But he ran a 4.44-second 40-yard-dash at the combine.

Perhaps Heidenreich could be an eventual replacement as both a returner and gadget weapon for Marvin Mims Jr., who’s currently slated to hit free agency after 2026. The potential here in Denver’s offense was too great to pass up.

Other options considered:��TE Oscar Delp, Georgia.��Delp was often stuck at the back of the pecking order of Georgia’s pass-catching options, and never caught more than 24 passes in a single season in college. His stock should rise , after being held out of the combine with a hairline fracture.