New Sleepers for the Broncos at Each Position Post-Combine

Every year, we hear the term "sleeper" in the NFL draft to describe good prospects who may not be getting the attention they deserve. The NFL Combine is a good place to find sleepers.

Some prospects enter as sleepers, but leave Indy on a different level. Then other prospects step in to fill the sleeper void.

Over the years, the Denver Broncos have found some of those sleepers. With the Combine in the books, we are examining a few prospects who may no longer be sleepers, and we'll juxtapose them with the prospect who may have filled that void.

Old Sleeper: Taylen Green | QB | Arkansas

The athletic quarterback has some accuracy issues that could’ve kept him under the radar. However, after producing a record-setting athletic testing run at the Combine, teams will be interested and willing to bet on his development.

New Sleeper: Haynes King | QB | Georgia Tech

King is another good quarterback, with nearly 2,300 rushing yards in his three years at Georgia Tech and over 7,900 passing yards. There are enough all-around traits to work on developing him as a quarterback, both as a runner and a passer.

Old Sleeper: Mike Washington Jr. | RB | Arkansas

Washington jumped out of the building and torched the field with his athletic testing, answering key athletic questions. With his size and power, that athleticism will likely see him skyrocket up boards and should put him squarely in the RB2 conversation behind Jeremiyah Love.

New Sleeper: Seth McGowan | RB | Kentucky

McGowan is another bigger back, but he didn’t test quite as well as Washington did, though he still tested out well overall. There is some quick feet and decision-making with McGowan, which could make him an enticing early Day 3 option.

Old Sleeper: Jeff Caldwell | WR | Cincinnati

Caldwell is a big-body receiver with great speed, body control, and good hands when you watch him on tape. His athletic testing was among the best of the Combine regardless of position, and while there are football elements to work on, you can’t teach his size, athleticism, or catch radius.

New Sleeper: Dillon Bell | WR | Georgia

Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia wideout Dillon Bell (WO04) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It was a great week for Bell at the Combine as he looked to stand out after injuries held him back this last season. Every year, receiver classes are deep, and not having production leads to players flying under the radar, but Bell has talent to contribute, even as a rookie.

Old Sleeper: Eli Raridon | TE | Notre Dame

The medicals with Raridon were the question entering the Combine, and there have been some reports of positive news there. Add in his work on the field, in the athletic testing and drill work, and he is no longer a sleeper.

New Sleeper: Lake McRee | TE | USC

McCree has a versatile skill set, but needs development as a blocker and receiver. This is a good tight end class, and he isn’t getting enough attention for what he can potentially bring to the table.

Old Sleeper: Keagen Trost | OT | Missouri

Trost had a great Combine, has a lot of experience, and a versatile skill set. After the first 5-10 tackles in the class, there is a void, and Trost may have put himself in that conversation.

New Sleeper: Kage Casey | OT | Boise State

While Trost may have put himself in that conversation, Casey pushed his way into it, but he seems to be the forgotten man. There are a handful of tackles who are getting more attention than Casey, and he may be a better prospect than they are.

Old Sleeper: Keylan Rutledge | IOL | Georgia Tech

Rutledge started stepping out of sleeper status at the Senior Bowl, but he fully emerged during the Combine. The athletic testing went well, but he also killed it in the on-field drills.

New Sleeper: Febechi Nwaiwu | IOL | Oklahoma

Mar 1, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oklahoma offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu (OL37) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There is a void among interior offensive linemen after some of the top guys, especially versatile prospects who aren’t center-only. Nwaiwu had a great Combine and should be in the conversation on the third day of the draft.

Old Sleeper: Darrell Jackson Jr. | NT | Florida State

Jackson is a fit 315 pounds, with plenty of room on his frame for another 20 pounds as a 0/1-technique. There is some ability to slide out farther in certain down-and-distance situations as well.

New Sleeper: Dominique Orange | NT | Iowa State

Orange didn’t do much at the Combine, but he is a great nose tackle prospect with plenty of size and a great nickname of ‘Big Citrus’. Other nose tackles had a great Combine and pushed Orange down and out of sight for many.

Old Sleeper: Gracen Halton | IDL | Oklahoma

While Halton is a little undersized, he is a great athlete and moves so well. The 3-5-techniques of this defensive line class are lacking after the top two, and Halton likely put himself closer to the top two than the fourth guy.

New Sleeper: Tyler Onyedim | IDL | Texas A&M

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim (DL23) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There was almost no talk of Onyedim entering the Combine, and he had one of the best days in terms of drill work and good athletic testing. Even after a great Combine, there is almost zero talk about him as a prospect.

Old Sleeper: Malachi Lawrence | Edge | UCF

Lawrence is another prospect who started to exit sleeper status at the Senior Bowl, and an excellent Combine completely took him out of that conversation. He is a multi-faceted edge rusher who needs work against the run, but there is a Nik Bonitto-type outlook for him.

New Sleeper: Mason Reiger | Edge | Wisconsin

This is a talented edge class, and Reiger is one of them. Because of how talented and deep this class is, it keeps good prospects down, and that is exactly what Reiger is, even after tearing up the Shrine Bowl.

Old Sleeper: Jack Kelly | LB | BYU

Kelly is a good football player, and he showed good athleticism at the Combine. There are still concerns about his coverage, but he is a good downhill stack linebacker prospect for Day 3.

New Sleeper: Kaleb Elarms-Orr | LB | TCU

Entering the Combine, I had a fifth-round grade on Elarms-Orr. After his combine and going back and watching more of his tape, he got burned to an early fourth. There is a lot to work with, and he has good instincts with the traits to be an all-around linebacker.

Old Sleeper: Chris Johnson | CB | San Diego State

Johnson is a talented and versatile corner, and that is what was on display at the Combine. He is a clean technician with great movement skills, and that will move him up. Entering the Combine, the talk had him as a 51-75 overall player, but he is being discussed as a late first-round to top-40 pick.

New Sleeper: Charles Demmings | CB | Stephen F. Austin

The small-school corner caught my eye during the on-field drill work for how good his technique and movement skills were. He has a versatile skill set for the role and scheme, and could be a Day 3 pick, and probably a late one with the corner depth in the class.

Old Sleeper: Jalon Kilgore | S | South Carolina

Kilgore may have gotten himself closer to the top three safeties with the traits he has. There is no doubt about his scheme and role versatility as the NFL looks to be more multiple with their safeties.

New Sleeper: DeShon Singleton | S | Nebraska

The safety class is great, and Singleton had a good workout at the Combine. There is a common thread of versatility, and he showed he can do all that is asked of a safety. He may need to be a special teams player at first, but there is some good potential on the defensive side of the ball.

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