Welcome to The Denver Post’s first Broncos mock draft of the offseason. The next installment will come the week of March 2, following the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
At one point, as he admitted in early April 2025, Sean Payton accidentally drank out of George Paton’s water bottle while crushing draft tape in the Broncos’ facility in Dove Valley.
Denver’s staff is still a couple of months away from that level of war-room intimacy, a few weeks after the sting of a season-ending loss in the AFC Championship Game. But draft season will officially arrive with the NFL Combine in Indianapolis the week of Feb. 23, where Broncos staffers will get an official evaluation on a 2026 rookie class that has the potential — with the right moves — to help pry open Denver’s Super Bowl window.
This group of draftees will evolve drastically over the next two months, with combine measurements and performance serving as a major launchpad for players’ stock. For now, the Broncos’ needs are set in stone: skill talent, linebacker, and depth. With that in mind, Denver Post beat reporters Parker Gabriel and Luca Evans took an educated spin through Pro Football Focus’s mock-draft simulator to look at the early crop of prospects Denver could target with their seven picks (and two likely additional compensatory picks) in April’s draft.
Here’s how The Post’s initial mock draft shook out. The parameters: no trades, and a couple more discussed fits for Denver at each draft slot.
Round 1, pick No. 30: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
Oops.
Is the secondary perhaps the smallest area of need on Denver’s current roster? Yes. Would drafting to the secondary in the first round incite a riot from Broncos Country, after the Broncos blindsided everyone with Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron in 2025? Possibly. But hear this out.
In this PFF simulation, a host of talented interior-defensive-line fits — Florida’s Caleb Banks, Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter — went a few picks before Denver’s No. 30 slot. The Rams took Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq at No. 29, removing one early obvious pass-catching option. That left a potential reach at a receiver or a linebacker, which didn’t feel quite right. Payton organizations haven’t taken a WR in the first round since the Saints picked Brandin Cooks in 2014.
There’s a good Day 1 safety crop available, and McNeil-Warren could be a great value at this spot for Denver. He has great size at 6-foot-2, closes quickly on receivers and was a monster in coverage at Toledo last season: just six catches allowed in 15 targets, according to PFF. Quietly, the Broncos would save themselves $7.4 million in cap room by cutting starting safety Brandon Jones — who suffered an eventual season-ending torn pec in December — and could lose key reserve P.J. Locke to free agency. This is incredibly unsexy, but it makes sense.
Other options considered: WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana; WR Chris Bell, Louisville. Cooper Jr. was a stud in 2025 for the national champion Hoosiers, but mainly played slot receiver; the Broncos probably wouldn’t fire on a WR in the first round if they didn’t deem him versatile. The 6-foot-2 Bell fits the Payton mold, but he suffered a torn ACL at the end of the 2025 season.
Round 2, pick No. 62: TE Max Klare, Ohio State
Will Denver move on from Evan Engram and save $3.8 million in cap room? Regardless, this is an incredibly deep TE class, and the Broncos would do well to find quarterback Bo Nix a true matchup threat who can stay on the field in a variety of packages. Since Payton arrived in 2023, Denver’s been consistently split between tight ends that Payton trusts as blockers (Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins) and tight ends he trusts as receivers (Engram, Lucas Krull). The 6-foot-5 Klare could be trusted as both.
Klare racked up 43 catches for 448 yards for a Buckeyes offense that primarily relied on its wide receivers in 2025, and handled run-blocking duties well. He could reasonably play next to Engram in two-tight-end sets if the Broncos hold onto the veteran, or serve as the primary threat if Denver cuts bait.
Other options considered: ILB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech; RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame. Price is a highly interesting option as a complement to RJ Harvey, more of a traditional between-the-tackles power back who has less value in third-down situations. Rodriguez is one of the best early fits for Denver in this class, but is currently projected to go around the third round. Gabriel and Evans hoped Rodriguez would fall to Denver’s next pick. Regretfully, he was snapped up by Chicago. This was The Post’s biggest mock-draft oops.
Round 3, pick No. 94: RB Kaytron Allen, Penn State
How about a different complement to Harvey? Allen has produced for four straight seasons in a powerhouse program, and popped as a senior: 1,303 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 6.2 yards per carry. NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein’s initial evaluation on Allen paints the picture of a running back with good vision who has good ball security and good contact balance — all traits that Payton and Paton value in an RB, and all traits that’d mix well with Harvey’s explosiveness in space.
Other options considered: DL Skyler Gill-Howard, Texas Tech; begging the artificial-intelligence Chicago Bears to trade the rights to Rodriguez. Gill-Howard has major upside as an interior pass-rusher, which could be tantalizing for Denver with the likely free-agent departure of John Franklin-Myers. Gill-Howard, however, stands just 6-foot-1 and is raw on big-time college stats.
Round 4, pick No. 108: G Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame
PFF’s simulator graded this pick as an “F.” But offensive line likely needs to be an area of priority for these Broncos, with tackles Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey both on the wrong side of 30 and left guard Ben Powers an obvious cut candidate. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Schrauth allowed just two pressures in 436 snaps last season at left guard for the Fighting Irish, according to Pro Football Focus, and could be undervalued in the draft after a midseason MCL sprain ended his year. If he tests well at the combine and shows the ability to move and get out in outside-zone schemes, this would look like a good pick.
Other options considered: T Brian Parker II, Duke; T Austin Barber, Florida. Denver could use a potential future starting tackle in this draft. Parker might’ve been the option here after two great seasons at Duke, but he appears to be switching to center as a draft prospect. The 6-foot-6 Barber had an excellent senior season at Florida.
Round 4, pick No. 130: WR Eric McAlister, TCU
This is essentially a thought experiment: what if Denver just drafted Pat Bryant two years in a row? McAlister has the ideal Payton size for a receiver (6-foot-3), just led the Big 12 in receiving with 1,190 yards, and was a big-time blocker at TCU. McAlister will face character concerns in the draft process after a 2024 arrest on a charge of aggravated assault, and any Broncos interest here would come down to a determination if his profile is clean.
Other options considered: Nobody
Round 5, pick No. 168: TE Tanner Koziol, Houston
Yes, this is a two-tight-end draft. The Broncos already have a potential pass-catching red-zone weapon in tight end Caleb Lohner, drafted in the seventh round in 2025. But Lohner spent the entire season on the practice squad, and the 6-foot-7 Koziol would be an incredibly good value at this spot. According to PFF, Koziol leads all players in college football — regardless of position — in contested catches, and has big-time production at both Ball State and Houston. He’d be a goal-line target for Denver from Day 1.
Other options considered: LB Harold Perkins Jr., LSU; LB Bryce Boettcher, Oregon. Perkins is a natural talent, but will face positional concerns in the NFL as a sort of undersized, hybrid linebacker. The Broncos also have plenty of Ducks ties, and Boettcher is a classic hard-hitter in the Alex Singleton mold.
Round 7, pick No. 246: QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
Round 7, pick No. 251: OLB Mason Reiger, Wisconsin
Round 7, pick No. 256: CB Collin Wright, Stanford
This is assuming, of course, that the Broncos land those No. 251 and No. 256 comp picks for the 2025 free-agent departures of running back Javonte Williams and punter Riley Dixon. This was throw-dart-at-the-wall time, and Payton is a highly intriguing dart: a 6-foot-3 lefty quarterback who was used in situational packages throughout his North Dakota State tenure. He could be a Taysom Hill-type in the NFL.