Broncos 7-Round Mock Draft: Worst-Case Scenarios

The next big stop on the NFL draft trail is rapidly approaching, with the NFL Combine starting this week. Every team, including the Denver Broncos, prepares to spend the next week in Indianapolis to meet with and scout the next group of draft prospects.

It's the most significant event for the NFL draft and the Combine is critical to evaluating prospects.

While the Broncos are in a great spot to keep building their team into a contender, sometimes the draft doesn’t fall the way a team would hope. The NFL Combine gives the Broncos eyes on everyone, which can help if things don’t go how they want come draft day.

For this week's mock, we're doing a worst-case scenario for Denver. Everyone the Broncos want at 20 overall is off the board, including under-the-radar options, forcing them to go a less-than-ideal way. This mock represents what it might look like if the dominoes don't fall the way George Paton and Sean Payton want them to.

Round 1, Pick 20: Josh Conerly Jr. | OT/OG | Oregon

Why it works: Even though the Broncos have Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey under contract, they both have injury concerns. Alex Palczewski performed well at right tackle for a few weeks when McGlinchey was hurt, but the Broncos have valued him more as a guard than at tackle.

Why it's worst-case: Taking a third-string tackle in Round 1 is far from ideal, with needs at almost every other position on the roster. The scheme fit isn't ideal, and the player isn’t at a talent level where you can ignore that, whhich is essential when it comes to offensive linemen.

Breakdown: Conerly is an athletic prospect who moves well, but serious questions exist about his core strength and leverage. He has a bad habit of getting too high with his pad level, especially when climbing to the second level.

While Conerly has the movement skills to work in a heavy outside zone-based run scheme, inside stuff may not be as beneficial with his power questions. He may also be better suited to work as a guard at the NFL level than at tackle.

Round 2, Pick 51: Harold Fannin Jr. | TE | Bowling Green

Why it works: The Broncos need a pass-catching tight end to help give a shot in the arm to their passing game. Adding that weapon can take their passing offense to the next level.

Why it's worst-case: Making the pick at 51 overall may be too high, and while the Broncos need receiving ability, they also need to improve their blocking ability. Fannin doesn’t offer up much as a blocker and should be viewed more as a big wide receiver and a third-round option.

This would be reaching for a need and passing up better players available at positions of need, even if they aren’t the most prominent need, like a tight end.

Breakdown: Fannin was one of the best receiving tight ends in college football last season. He isn’t the smoothest of route runners and can bend his breaks more than cut them off with a crisp cut.

Fannin's hands were reliable, with four drops on 150 targets and 117 catches, totaling 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns. There is no in-line ability from Fannin, and his blocking as a big slot also leaves a lot to be desired. The route tree isn’t well-developed, and he has to slow down during his breaks, which can create issues when playing at the level of speed you see in the NFL.

Round 3, Pick 85: Tez Johnson | WR | Oregon

Why it works: The Broncos can use additional play-makers on offense, especially with one who already knows Bo Nix exceptionally well.

Why it's worst-case: The receiver's style matters, as the Broncos have pass-catchers who can do the same things as Johnson. You want complementary skill sets in the room, and this is a bit redundant, as is the historically small size that isn’t covered by elite speed. Due to his size constraints, this is about 100 picks earlier than Johnson should go.

Breakdown: Johnson is historically small, as in one of the five most undersized receivers to ever enter the NFL. If he had elite speed, you could overlook it some, but he doesn’t have that elite speed.

Johnson does have great speed, though, and that slight difference can matter in the NFL. His tape is full of double catches, and though there were only three drops in 2024, those double catches created opportunities for passes to be broken up.

Physicality can disrupt Johnson at the line and through his route, and he has to rely on space and schemed touches to make an impact. His likely usage will be as a gadget receiver, and he doesn’t offer up much special teams ability.

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Round 4, Pick 121: Riley Leonard | QB | Notre Dame

Why it works: The Broncos are set to lose their two backup quarterbacks and could use someone to back up Nix. There are ways that Sean Payton can employ this quarterback to add some trickery and creativity to the offense. On top of that, Payton could look for a Taysom Hill-type player for the Broncos.

Why it's worst-case: It isn’t ideal to draft a backup quarterback, especially in the top 150 picks.

Breakdown: Leonard is an athletic quarterback who can offer much more than a quarterback. With his athleticism and toughness, Payton could create packages for him like he did with Taysom Hill in New Orleans. There are tools to work with and develop as a passer with Leonard, but getting him there will take a lot of time and effort, likely limiting him to a gadget-quarterback-type role in the NFL.

Round 6, Pick 193: Ajani Cornelius | OT/OG | Oregon

Why it works: The Broncos can use depth on their offensive line, especially facing changes to the unit after the 2025 season. Those potential changes depend on McGlinchey and left guard Ben Powers and whether their contract is restructured, which is expected.

Why it's worst-case: It's hard to have an actual worst-case scenario this late in the draft, but what makes this is the selection of Conerly. The Broncos followed that up by using a sixth-round pick on a another Duck who may not work at tackle or guard but does at least fit the scheme.

Breakdown: Cornelius has long arms and does well controlling his balance and feet. When he plays with leverage, he can generate push at the point of attack, but his pad level is consistently high. He relied on physical gifts in college, which won’t translate to NFL success without significantly improving his technique.

Round 6, Pick 199: Tyler Loop | K | Arizona

Why it works: Wil Lutz is a free agent after the 2025 season and will turn 32 years a few months after hitting free agency in 2026.

Why it's worst-case: Drafting a kicker isn’t advised unless they are extraordinary, even with a sixth-round pick.

Breakdown: Loop has shown a good and reliable leg. He has missed only eight field goals in his career under 40 yards and only two extra points. When over 50 yards, he's missed 5-of-13 attempts. He has also shown the ability to handle kickoff duties and be an emergency punter, with 28 punts in his career.

Round 6, Pick 209: James Burnip | P | Alabama

Why it works: This year, Riley Dixon is a free agent, potentially leaving the Broncos without a punter.

Why it's worst-case: Drafting a punter isn’t advised unless they're extraordinary, even with a sixth-round pick.

Breakdown: Burnip has a reliable leg as a punter who gets decent hangtime and distance, which can be helped by punting for half the season at altitude in Denver. To avoid blocked punts, he will need to speed up his process at the NFL, and his placement and touch can be concerning when punting with a short field.