The Denver Broncos no longer have a pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but that should not faze the fanbase. General manager George Paton has been in this position before.
After trading for Russell Wilson during the 2022 offseason, Paton dealt the team's first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. He still found Nik Bonitto and Marvin Mims Jr. with his second-round picks in those drafts. In both cases, those picks were made near the end of the second round, much like he will be doing this year.
Bonitto and Mims have each made the Pro Bowl, so Paton should be trusted with his first pick in this spring's draft, which will come at No. 62 overall.
The Athletic recently put together a mock draft made up of its beat writers and Nick Kosmider has the Broncos making a selection that fans will greatly enjoy should it come to fruition. He has the Broncos grabbing Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is a popular mock draft selection for the Broncos due to the team's need at the inside linebacker position. The team chose to re-sign both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad in free agency and they are the presumed starters as the roster sits right now. But it's clear that more depth, and perhaps an upgrade, is necessary.
Rodriguez could be that upgrade. Here is Kosmider's analysis:
"The Broncos are in familiar territory after trading their first-round pick to acquire Waddle. Denver did not make its first selections in the 2022 and 2023 drafts until the 60s after surrendering a combined three first-round picks to acquire QB Russell Wilson and coach Sean Payton. The Broncos came away from those drafts with pass rusher Nik Bonitto (2022) and receiver/returner Marvin Mims Jr. (2023), who have since made a combined four Pro Bowls. Only time will tell whether Rodriguez will have that kind of impact in the NFL, but his ball production for the Red Raiders (four interceptions, seven forced fumbles last season) could be appealing for a Denver defense intent on creating more takeaways in 2026."
Rodriguez could come in and take a starting job from either Singleton or Strnad based largely on his ability in one area... pass defense. That is an area where the Broncos have struggled, particularly in Singleton's case, and Rodriguez could help the team improve in that area while also being a tackling machine who is in on nearly every play.
HOT READ:Broncos should target one of these players with No. 62 overall pick in 2026 NFL Draft
Rodriguez ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at last month's combine and he led the country with seven forced fumbles last year. He is a player who is always looking to make a play for the defense by forcing a turnover. If he is still on the board at No. 62, there might not be a better pick that the team can make.
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