One DL Target for Broncos in Each Round of the Draft

The Denver Broncos allowed John Franklin-Myers to walk in free agency, and all signs pointed to it in advance, given that they purportedly had no conversations about his potential return. The Broncos now have to replace 569 defensive snaps, the second-most behind Zach Allen, as Franklin-Myers was Denver's starter opposite him.

The Broncos are looking at Eyioma Uwazurike, the fifth man on the defensive line rotation, who had 471 snaps last year, and Sai’vion Jones, their 2025 third-round pick, who had 33 snaps on the season, to replace him. Jordan Jackson, who had 85 snaps, also plays a part.

That is a lot of risk given how little Jones saw the field, Uwazurikie's vastly different role, and Jackson making significant steps in his development.

To help mitigate the risk, Denver could consider adding another option in the draft among the interior defensive linemen. Now, nose tackle types aren’t included in this breakdown (don’t worry, they will get their own article soon), as the Broncos are looking for a 4i/5-technique to replace Franklin-Myers, not a 0-3 technique.

The class of 4i/5 techniques is extremely thin this year, as nose tackles lift the strength of the interior defensive line class overall. There are still some good options, though, and we're going to look at one prospect per round, using the Consensus Big Board to match players to their rounds.

Keep in mind, we'll also be including first and third-round options, even though the Broncos don't have any such picks now, because the NFL draft is unpredictable, and we want to be comprehensive and edifying for our readers.

Round 1 Option: Peter Woods | Clemson

Woods has never lived up to expectations, and while he didn’t work out at the Combine, he did have his pro day. His pro-day measurements and athletic testing weren’t great, which could see him fall even more from his top 10 projection before the 2025 season to somewhere in the second round.

There are still good traits in how Woods uses his power and explosiveness to get him going, and he moves quickly when shooting lanes and moving laterally against the run. With his size, there are issues with getting off blocks and holding up at the point of attack.

Woods will have to develop techniques, such as the knee-drop technique, to improve his effectiveness as an undersized run defender.

Round 2 Option: Christen Miller | Georgia

Miller is right on the cusp of being a first-round pick for many, while others have him as a late second or even an early third-round prospect. Miller is a much better run defender than Woods is, but there are questions about his ability to be a consistent disruptor in the passing game inside.

While Miller could line up as a nose in certain looks, he seems better suited as a 3/4i-technique at the NFL level, especially on run downs. Given his lack of quickness and explosiveness in the run game, Denver may feel it already has a similar player in Uwazurike and pass on Miller.

Round 3 Option: Gracen Halton | Oklahoma

Halton may be the closest prospect to Franklin-Myers in terms of size, athleticism, and play style, at least to what Franklin-Myers was when entering the NFL. Halton is a quick, loose athlete with quick feet to work around the edge, and quick, with good leverage to get under tackles and drive through them.

There are concerns with Halton's run defense at the point of attack if he isn’t shooting gaps to make a play. His size and strength are concerns there; he can learn techniques to help, but he will also need to develop his build to address some of the issues.

Round 4 Option: Kaleb Proctor | Southeastern Louisiana

Proctor may be too similar to Sai'vion Jones, with similar strengths and weaknesses, and the added concern that his jump in competition level might be too great. He's a quick, explosive pass rusher who can line up in multiple spots and potentially succeed.

Now, Proctor doesn’t have the size or strength to consistently hold up at the point of attack in the run game, and if he gets stuck on a blocker as a pass rusher, he doesn’t have the best moves to get off blocks. The pass-rush arsenal is adequate, but it could use counters. He also needs to do a better job at chaining moves together.

Round 5 Option: Rayshaun Benny | Michigan

Benny is best suited to be a 4i/5-technique in the NFL with his length and skill set, but he may not have the explosiveness or quickness to fully take advantage of that role. He is more of a grinder as a defender, both against the run and the pass, and works blockers back to create disruptions.

Benny has good strength and power and can easily handle different gap-count responsibilities, which can help the edge defender get to his outside shoulder. With active hands and his strength, he could really be effective in a scheme that utilizes him as the clear guy on stunts/twists.

Round 6 Option: Skyler Gil-Howard | Texas Tech

Gill-Howard is a short-armed and undersized player, but he has a lot of burst and explosiveness off the snap. He gets frequently engulfed by blockers on tape, which will be a greater concern at the NFL level given his size limitations.

There is a chance Gill-Howard finds himself extremely limited in his role, working more as a 4-3 end in a 6/7 technique, which still poses problems with size and length.

As a pass rusher, Gil-Howard has a good arsenal of moves and does well chaining them together. Among the interior defenders in this class, he may have one of the biggest sets of pass-rush moves in the class, and they are all generally well developed. With how quick he is to get to his counters, he still has some pass-rush upside to try to work into the defensive front.

Round 7 Option: Tyler Onyedim | Texas A&M

Onyedim's size and athleticism are quite good, and he crushed the drill work at the NFL Combine, showing well-developed technique. He also has the size, athleticism, and skill set to be a versatile piece along the line, where he can work from a 0-6 technique depending on the down, distance, and look.

Onyedim's lateral quickness helps him win with stunts and twists, and also unlocks a really good spin move in his arsenal. There are issues with getting swallowed by blockers or caught in the flow of zone-blocking concepts, which could make him an opponent-specific matchup player, a role that is almost non-existent in the NFL.

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