How Many Broncos Rookies Will Actually Make an Impact in 2026

The Denver Broncos made seven selections in the 2026 NFL draft, while doubling up on tight end. But what do these new players bring to the Broncos, and how many of them actually impact 2026?

Let's dive in to see what each player brings, what development might be needed, and what their path to playing time looks like for 2026.

Tyler Onyedim | DL

After watching the Broncos' run defense falter late in the season and in the playoffs, they needed a quality run defender. Onyedim was, analytically, one of the best run defenders in this draft class.

Onyedim has some issues with double teams, but he also has good moves as a run defender against single blocks. He has also shown potential with a knee-drop move to handle double teams.

As a pass rusher, Onyedim doesn’t have great production but has a good number of developed moves to apply pressure. The Broncos will need to develop these moves to make them cleaner, add counters, and smooth things out when chaining moves together. He has great size and length, and is a good enough short-area athlete to be a capable pass rusher in the NFL.

Onyedim has 34-inch arms and does well to fire his hands quickly and gain control of the blocker's chest, but his base isn’t great, which limits how much he can take advantage of leverage and his length. If he can improve there, his heavy, powerful hands could become even more effective, especially his hand-based rush moves.

The defensive line is a heavily rotated position, and Onyedim was part of a heavy rotation at Texas A&M. That may be a concern for some.

2026 Outlook

Still, with the Broncos' depth, it shouldn’t be overly concerning, as he fits naturally into the rotation. There is a chance he ends up a starter on first and second down, with Sai’vion Jones rotating in on passing downs.

Jonah Coleman | RB

One great thing about Coleman is that he runs with a low center of gravity thanks to his short, compact frame, which makes him hard to bring down. With exceptional contact balance, he looks like a bowling ball bouncing off pins, and he always keeps his legs churning, helping him break through tackles and pick up yards after contact.

While he isn’t an elite athlete and lacks the home-run speed to be a home-run threat, Coleman gets caught from behind a lot. He does have solid burst and short-area quickness to make defenders miss in tight spaces.

However, Coleman is a linear runner and doesn’t change direction well, so he isn’t one to hit a closed hole, then change to bounce it to another hole very well. When he gets going north and south, though, you've got to roll with what he gives you.

The good news is that Coleman has some of the best vision in this draft class, so he doesn’t hit the wrong hole very often. He can also vary his speed and change pursuit angles when he runs outside.

The Broncos won’t want to run him outside the tackles very often due to his lack of speed, but he has enough to keep it an option the defense has to factor in.

As a power back, Coleman needs to show that power more consistently as a ball carrier, but the power is very much there as a pass protector. His pass protection will earn him a role on third down, but he is also a very capable backfield receiver who can be a true third-down threat. There isn’t wasted movement when the ball is in his hands, and his ball security is some of the best in this class.

Coleman's lack of athleticism is the biggest issue and will limit his overall ceiling in the NFL. There have also been some concerns about keeping his weight in a good spot, but that is something the Broncos can help with.

2026 Outlook

Coleman raises the floor in the Broncos' running back room significantly as the second or third option with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Broncos fans will see Coleman on the field plenty as a rookie.

Kage Casey | OL

Casey started 41 straight games to close out his career and has a high football IQ that's easy to see on his tape. He reads stunts and twists, while also seeing delayed blitzes. Another area his football IQ shows is how hard he is to set up for defenders through his pass-rush moves.

Now, Casey was a career starter at left tackle at Boise State and was announced as a guard for the Broncos, which puts him in line to compete for the starting left guard job next year. He projects inside at guard due to a lack of length for tackle, but he has good power to generate movement and a good anchor to halt bull rush attempts.

Casey has good movement skills for a puller in the NFL, and he shows the awareness to catch incoming defenders and hit his landmarks. His legs keep churning to drive defenders out of the lane, and he looks to finish blocks with defenders on the ground.

Throughout his career, Casey has dealt with a few shoulder injuries. Still, it isn’t clear whether his difficulty benching defenders off his frame stems from those injuries or simply a lack of upper-body power.

Another reason he projects better inside is that Casey isn’t overly explosive off the snap, and was able to be caught around the arch by more explosive defenders. So, working at guard, there is less ground to cover off the snap, which eases the issue.

Casey has the smarts, power, movement skills, and anchor to work as a guard for the Broncos if he can make the transition inside. Now, it's easier to move from tackle to guard than to flip from the left to right side, so that makes his NFL transition a bit easier.

2026 Outlook

Aside from special teams, don't expect Casey to make a big impact as a rookie, unless there's an injury ahead of him on the depth chart. 2027 is likely the year that lines up with the team's vision for him.

Justin Joly | TE

Joly has the build of a bigger receiver and is extremely athletic. He's a smooth, fluid mover for a tight end, which is why he projects in the slot at the NFL level.

Still, Joly does have some ability to work in-line on obvious passing downs and even in the backfield. His blocking is problematic from a technical standpoint, which is why he isn’t a traditional tight end, but he shows enough to work from the slot, and has shown the desire and willingness to improve.

For a tight end or bigger receiver, Joly runs really good routes and shows the nuances that come naturally, which can make life a little easier for the coaching staff as the Broncos will have a base to build on. As he runs his routes, he also shows he can stack defenders and keep them on his hip throughout their routes.

Now, part of the issue beyond Joly's blocking is that he doesn't offer any special-teams value, and depth tight ends typically need to. If he can find a way to make a consistent impact on offense, the special teams issue is minimized, and with his reliability as a pass catcher and few drops, that's possible.

2026 Outlook

Joly will factor into the offense in 2026, likely in a limited role behind Evan Engram.

Miles Scott | DB

Scott is a good athlete with great range to be a center-field-type safety, and he has strong ball skills, which makes sense, as he started as a wide receiver. He is still learning the safety position, but the range and ball skills come naturally and can’t be taught.

Not only is Scott an athlete with a high football IQ and a former team captain, but leadership is something the Broncos value tremendously in a prospect. Also, in terms of his football IQ, he is a rare safety who was the green dot player when most teams put it on a linebacker. He also has a quick diagnosis of passing concepts to get himself into position to make a play.

While Scott has shown improvement as a run defender and tackler, he still has a long way to go. However, it's been encouraging to see him grow each year as a safety.

2026 Outlook

There is a high ceiling for Scott, which he isn't remotely close to due to his lack of experience. However, can provide some special teams value as a rookie.

Dallen Bentley | TE

Bently is an older player and has one good season under his belt, with no special-teams value. While he looks the part of an in-line tight end, he is more of a receiver who needs to develop as a blocker, though he does show effort, even if the technique isn’t there.

Bentley is a natural catcher with no drops in 2025. He displays quality route-running and is a threat after the catch with the ball in his hands. He can work in multiple spots in the formation and in the backfield as a lead blocker, where his massive size and momentum can create a push on contact.

For many, Bentley was a fourth or fifth-round prospect, though his age and experience went against him and are likely part of why he fell as far as he did. He is a size/speed tight end who comes into the NFL with a good head on his shoulders, loves football, and is one you don’t have to worry about off the field of getting into trouble.

2026 Outlook

We'll see how the competition shakes out this summer, but he might spend a good chunk of his rookie year on the practice squad.

Red Murdock | LB

With an FBS record-setting 17 forced fumbles in three years, Murdock knows how to knock the ball out with a well-placed and powerful "peanut punch." He plays fast when working downhill, meets contact with force, and shows a natural feel to avoid blocks to get to the ball.

Now, Murdock does lack the length you want to see, which is an issue with getting off blocks and with coverage as well. He doesn’t have the best movement skills or athleticism to be highly effective in coverage, at least not early in his career.

Murdock is another team captain and has been durable, as he hasn’t missed a game in the last three years. He is another one many felt was a fourth- or fifth-round pick, but an ankle injury that sidelined him throughout the process likely led to his fall in the draft.

2026 Outlook

Murdock will be in the mix for the Broncos' No. 4 linebacker spot. They could opt to carry five inside linebackers this time around, but traditionally, Sean Payton keeps four.

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