Daniel Jeremiah Predicts Interesting Round-1 Decision for Broncos

Mock draft season is upon us, and one of the most anticipated mocksters just dropped his second interation of 2026. NFL's draft czar Daniel Jeremiah released his mock draft 2.0, picking Georgia linebacker CJ Allen for the Denver Broncos at No. 30 overall.

"Denver finds a replacement for Alex Singleton, who is ticketed for free agency. Allen is a steady, reliable player who can handle the nerve center of that talented defense," Jeremiah wrote.

It's worth mentioning that Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion was still on the board at No. 30. Allen might be the better overall player, relative to big board rankings, but Concepcion better fits a glaring need.

Allen would also fill a roster need. But would he truly be a replacement for a veteran tackling machine like Singleton? Here's what our Erick Trickel wrote about Allen earlier this week:

"There is a lot to like with Allen as a downhill defender, but the lack of length is a concern as a tackler and in coverage. His football IQ and instincts are great, which are needed for coverage at the NFL level. Allen's play strength is good and helps mask some of his length issues," Trickel wrote.

"Allen won’t erase throwing windows with his length, and it also leads to some wrap-up issues, but he makes up for it with his play strength. If this were the early 2000s, Allen would be an easy top-10 linebacker, but he has to show teams that the length concern won’t be an issue at the NFL level."

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Allen's Resume

Dec 6, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia linebacker CJ Allen (3) tackles Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (15) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In Jeremiah's mock 2.0, he had two linebackers going before Allen, both of whom hail from Ohio State. Is Allen the third-best linebacker in this class? He might be, but the length questions persist.

It'll be interesting to see how Allen measures and tests at the NFL Combine. As a three-year player at Georgia, he totaled 205 combined tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks.

Allen also picked off one pass, broke up 10 throws, recovered two fumbles, and forced one fumble. Solid production for an SEC linebacker.

The Broncos are in a dubious position at linebacker, but that figures to change when free agency opens on March 11. The Broncos have two of their top three linebackers hitting unrestricted free agency: Singleton and Justin Strnad.

The Broncos probably only bring back one (likely Singleton), and look to the draft for more depth, while giving it one more go-round with the injury-plagued Dre Greenlaw. However, it wouldn't be a complete shock to see the Broncos release Greenlaw, but it would be next to impossible to competently replace all three of a defense's top linebackers in one offseason.

That bodes well for Greenlaw sticking around one more year. The Broncos could also look to the 2026 free-agent crop of linebackers, which includes names like Devin Lloyd and Quay Walker, among others.

More likely, though, with other big fish to fry on offense, the Broncos bring back either Singleton or Strnad, and draft a linebacker. It could be a first-round decision, but I'd be surprised if it were, considering the depth at the position in this draft class.

Time will tell. But Allen probably wouldn't need too much time getting up to speed behind a pair of veterans.