Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - HAUL: Post-NFL Combine Broncos Mock Draft for All 7 Rounds

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos go back to a familiar talent pool at the top of this all new 2026 mock draft. You are locked on Broncos. Your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. It's crazy to think the NFL scouting combine is already over. The off season is in full swing. And the Denver Broncos, they've got some needs to address and plenty of draft capital to

Starting point is 00:00:35 do it and we're going to go through all seven rounds in a brand new post scouting combine mock draft here at locked on broncos welcome in everybody my name is sarah bedinger i'm a co-host here at lockdown broncos as well as the site expert at predominantly orange dot com thank you to all you every day listeners of the show that make us part of your day however you choose to do so for those of you who haven't already considered man you might want to join the everyday or all access club there is a code right now all caps, free agency. One word, you get one month of the everyday or all access club for free. One of the biggest benefits of that, you get an ad-free episode of this show.

Starting point is 00:01:14 And certainly, Broncos country, when we look at the NFL draft, I think right now, pre-free agency, it's easy a bit to be overwhelmed, kind of trying to figure out, okay, you've got to address all these different needs in the NFL draft as opposed to drafting prospects and how high they may grade on the Broncos board. But we know a little bit about how George Payton and Sean Payton like to operate together. We also kind of can anticipate maybe a little bit of what the team will do in free agency, although you expect the unexpected when it comes to the offseason. But I think regardless of what the Broncos do in free agency, I feel like I put together a solid class right here, a really strong free agent

Starting point is 00:01:55 class where you might get some instant impact from the players as opposed to, you know, in recent years the Broncos have maybe struggled a little bit to find those instant impact players, more developmental types. They're willing to be patient with players. They're willing to be patient with situations, but you'd love to see as much as is possible these rookies getting out onto the field. And we saw last year, the Broncos, I mean, RJ Harvey had 12 touchdowns, although first round pick, Jada Baron barely played. But I do think, and to start off this mock draft, I do believe that the Broncos could go back to that Texas talent pool at least a time or two in this draft. There's some more prospects specifically on the defensive side of the ball that make a lot of sense.

Starting point is 00:02:38 So we're not we're not trading any picks in this mock draft. We're going to go straight through the Broncos draft pick order. And with the top pick in this mock draft, the Denver Broncos are taking Texas linebacker, Anthony Hill Jr. One of the most productive offball linebackers in all of college football, absolutely just lit up the scouting combine before sitting out some of the agility drills, just to be cautious, overly cautious, didn't want to hurt himself, didn't want to lower his draft stock because he had already done plenty to raise it. I mean, a 451 in the 40-yard dash,

Starting point is 00:03:12 explosive vertical jump, really good size at the offball linebacker position, posted a 993 on the RAS scale. And we know that Anthony Hill can play. I mean, the guy is legit, and he's been legit for a long time. He's got that three down ability that the Broncos really look for, somebody who can match up in coverage, somebody who does have that agility to match up with tight ends. Here's what I love about his scouting report from NFL.com. Impressive instincts when covering in space,

Starting point is 00:03:43 changes direction with suddenness and at tight angles, avoids unnecessary block engagement, staying free to make plays. And certainly you feel like a linebacker that can diagnose, a linebacker who is slippery and a linebacker who can play with his back to the football, with that agility, that quick change of direction. You know, that's what the Broncos need at the position. They need to upgrade the athleticism department at linebacker.

Starting point is 00:04:09 They need to upgrade playmaking at the linebacker position. And they proved that to us all last year when they went after Dre Greenlaw in free agency. So even if the Broncos run it back with Greenlaw, Justin Sernaud, Alex Singleton, If they run it back with that trio or two of those three guys, I still think a first round pick at linebacker is possible. And Anthony Hill, to me, he's kind of sitting in that 35 to 45 range on a lot of big boards out there. I feel like NFL teams are going to really value him. And the Broncos clearly like Texas defensive prospects.

Starting point is 00:04:44 So Anthony Hill is our top pick. Now, in the second round, we're going after one of the top needs on the offensive side of the ball, taking Ohio State tight end Max Claire. And when you look at Max Claire, he doesn't exactly fit the prototype of what the Broncos look for in terms of inline tight ends, right? He's not 65 to 60. He's 65 240 and change, but he's athletic.

Starting point is 00:05:09 And you have to have elite top end athletes at the tight end position in order to truly find those Joker types of players that Sean Payton said, they're going to be in the market for once again, this offseason. Now, Evan Ingram, we want to see him excel in Denver. We want to see him utilized to the fullest of his potential. But Max Claire is somebody that you can really build around for the future. And I also believe, and this is maybe a little bit of a clue of what's to come, I also believe that this tight end class is too good for the Denver Broncos to take just one guy. So we have another coming in this mock draft. But Max Claire in the second round makes a ton of sense to

Starting point is 00:05:49 me. He's got tremendous on-field athleticism. He's somebody who can line up in the slot. He can line up at tight end. He runs great routes. He did transfer to Ohio State from Purdue. So I'm interested to see how the Broncos perceive that sort of thing, right? Well, somebody's at Purdue, obviously, you may not be competing for a national championship like you are at Ohio State. So you get it from that perspective. But certainly when it comes to enhancing and highlighting his NFL skill set, you feel like that's a pretty solid move for Max Claire. So the first two picks, Anthony Hill Jr., the linebacker out of Texas, and the second round pick, Max Claire, the tight end out of Ohio State.

Starting point is 00:06:30 You'd get super athletic options at both of those positions, although certainly when it comes to positional value in the draft, linebacker and tight end, that's not necessarily at the top of the positional value list, but they are needs for the Denver Broncos. And those guys could play right away in the third round. after Washington running back Jonah Coleman. Cody and I talked about this on our Monday full episode of Lockdown Broncos,

Starting point is 00:06:55 but Jonah Coleman was somebody to me who, although he didn't test at the scouting combine, I think he fits what the Broncos need perfectly in terms of running back depth. And somebody who is going to play for you, even if you're not deliberately trying to involve three running backs. He's 5 foot eight, 220 pounds. So he's a thick running back. He's got the ability to.

Starting point is 00:07:18 stand in in past protection. He knows past protection concepts. He's able to pick that stuff up quickly when watching tape. And he's known on his scouting reports for being one of the best past protection running backs in this class. But on top of that, I feel like you're getting a guy who can do a little bit of everything for you. He can play all three downs.

Starting point is 00:07:38 You can run between the tackles. He can catch passes. He only had one fumble over four seasons at Washington. So ball security is a big deal for him. And I just feel like in terms of adding depth to the position, the Broncos need somebody who's got the upside to be able to play a big role. So I think that third to fifth round or third to fourth round is a great range to look at for the Broncos at running back in this draft,

Starting point is 00:08:06 I think regardless of what they end up doing in free agency. And of course, we do expect the Broncos to be active in pursuing running backs in free agency, maybe even via trade. We'll see what ends up happening there. But the top three picks in this mock draft, we go ahead and get Anthony Hill Jr. The linebacker from Texas,

Starting point is 00:08:24 Max Claire, the tight end from Ohio State, and Jonah Coleman, the running back from Washington. Let me know what you think of those picks, but we've got the rest of the picks. So day three picks, the diamonds in the rough. We're going to finish out this Broncos mock draft. Coming up, we're going to double up at tight end. We're going to go after some offensive linemen,

Starting point is 00:08:41 and we're going to add some more depth to the defensive side of the ball, as well as one of the most unique playmakers in this draft, Broncos country. We're going to break it all down coming up next on today's bonus episode Locked on Broncos. Today's episode of Locked on Broncos is brought to you by Indeed, workplace chaos, deadlines stacking up, inbox overflowing. And the one position you have to fill is still sitting wide open. When the pressure's on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for, skills, experience, location, so that you're not just hoping.

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Starting point is 00:12:05 Download game time today. We address some significant needs for the Denver Broncos with our top three picks in this updated post-scouting combine mock draft. And now day three, that's where you make some hay. You build some depth. You look at potential future starters, some players that you want to develop and pour into a little bit as well as just kind of taking advantage of areas of this draft that are really strong overall. And we're going to do that to start off at the tight end position. Pick number 108 overall, the Broncos have two fourth round picks, thanks to the Devon Bailey trade with the New Orleans Saints. And with their top pick on day three, the Broncos are going after Stanford tight end Sam Roos. Get used to me saying his name here on the podcast, everybody.

Starting point is 00:12:51 We'll start to include some different names for the sake of variance at some point. But man, if the mock draft machines are even remotely accurate, Sam Ruch is the perfect player for the Denver Broncos to target somewhere from the end of round three to round four. If he's still there in round four, I think it's a no-brainer. If he's still on the board at this point, I don't think necessarily that he's going to escape day two of the draft. but I do feel like he's a perfect fit for the Denver Broncos, 6 foot 6, 267 pounds. He had elite athletic metrics at scouting combine. I mean, a 47 in the 40-yard dash at 267 pounds is absolutely cooking. He had a 38.5 inch vertical jump.

Starting point is 00:13:34 He's explosive. He can play in line. He's got strong hands. I think Sam Ruch is kind of the ideal in-line Y tight-end option for the Denver Broncos. and he's how we start off day three of this mock draft. And then, of course, you got plenty of other additional picks. You got two picks in the fourth round with the second fourth round pick. I'm going after Texas safety.

Starting point is 00:13:56 We're going back to that pool. We're going with Texas safety Michael Taff, a former walk-on, somebody who developed into a key contributor on that Texas defense. We know the Broncos from Brandon Jones to PJ Locke to Malcolm Road to plenty of other guys. they like these Texas defensive players. We took one at the top of this mock draft. We're taking one again here in the fourth round. I do believe the safety position could be an interesting one to watch in the draft for the Broncos

Starting point is 00:14:26 because Brandon Jones is a free agent after this season. We'll see if the Broncos extend him or not. I hope they do. But PJ Locke being a free agent right now as well, along with Brandon Jones being a future free agent, you've got to consider that. You've got to consider potentially taking some. developmental options there at the position. I wouldn't even be shocked to see the Broncos go with a safety higher than that because

Starting point is 00:14:48 they want to keep that side of the ball as elite as possible for as long as possible. Now we get into the fifth round of this mock draft for the Denver Broncos. Of course, we took tight end Sam Ruch. We've taken safety Michael Taff. Here in the fifth round, I'm taking Jalen Farmer. I couldn't believe he was still there. The interior offensive lineman out of Kentucky, I feel like he's got the perfect size, athleticism combination.

Starting point is 00:15:13 I wouldn't mind seeing the Broncos take him in round three, quite frankly. I don't know if he's going to be there in the fifth round, but if he's there in the simulator, I'm taking him. And I think it's a good opportunity just for us to talk about Jalen Farmer, the guard from Kentucky. I feel like he could be a future starter for you at some point down the road. In the seventh round, the Broncos have two selections, projected compensatory picks at this point. No sixth round pick as of right now. But in the seventh round, I took Navy wide receiver slash Swiss Army knife, Eli Haydenreich.

Starting point is 00:15:46 He's a really interesting player, somebody who caught a lot of passes at Navy, took the ball out of the backfield, played some tight end, plays special teams. He can block. He can do a little bit of everything. Ran a 4-4-4 at the scouting combine. So interesting athlete with that Swiss Army knife sort of skill set, I think the Broncos will be intrigued by his versatility, especially if he's still there. late on day three. And then with the final pick, 255, I took Carver Willis, an offensive tackle prospect out of Washington. I know the Broncos, they've drafted players out of Washington before. They've got the need for developmental offensive linemen and Carver Willis looks like the type of

Starting point is 00:16:26 player who could project as a swing tackle, potentially slide into guard. We'll see what happens. He's athletic. He's a Colorado native, matter of fact. So I think you've got a lot of interesting options in this draft as things currently stand for the Denver Broncos. They've got a lot of picks. They've got a lot of needs. But also, they really just need talent upgrades and depth upgrades more than they do anything else. I think they're going to hit their biggest needs in free agency in terms of starters. Bringing players back is an option. But I think in the draft is where you want to really go after upgrades in the talent department. Give yourself a reason to go for a player on a rookie contract beyond this season at certain positions if you need to with like linebacker,

Starting point is 00:17:08 running back, tight end, safety. Give yourself the options there by drafting well at those positions of need now and into the future talent upgrades across the board. We start off by going into that Texas talent pool. Once again, Anthony Hill, Jr. The first round pick of this mock draft, the Broncos getting Max Claire in round two, Jonah Coleman round three and a host of others on day three. Broncos country, let me know what you thought of this post combine mock draft.

Starting point is 00:17:38 I love the idea of doubling up at tight end in this draft. Didn't take a wide receiver. I think that's the real tough thing. You want to figure out ways to make sure that you address everything in the, you know, but we took the Navy player. We took Hyden Reich out of Navy and he's somebody who could be a gadget player, wide receiver on your roster. So this didn't go with one very.

Starting point is 00:17:59 high, not necessarily somebody who's going to impact the depth chart right away at the position. But let me know your thoughts on this mock draft. We'll have plenty more scenarios over the course of the offseason. But Broncos country, appreciate you so much. Thanks for tuning in today. Catch you on the next one.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - HAUL: Post-NFL Combine Broncos Mock Draft for All 7 Rounds

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