After day one of the 2026 NFL Draft, the moment that every Denver Broncos fan has been anticipating is finally here. The Broncos’ first pick this year is at No. 62 overall, and there have been many questions about what the team will do and whether it will trade some picks. Here are three players the Broncos should draft with their only pick in the second round.
Kayden McDonald, Defensive Tackle, Ohio State
Defensive tackle is one of the Broncos’ biggest needs in this year’s draft, especially after losing John Franklin-Myers in free agency to the Tennessee Titans. Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald should be the team’s number one choice if they decide to go with a defensive tackle.
McDonald would be a nice addition to Vance Joseph’s defense due to how he can efficiently stuff the run and stop running backs before they even reach the line of scrimmage. At the same time, he has also shown he can get to the quarterback and force fumbles.
An area where Denver’s defense struggled, especially in the postseason, was stopping the run game. In their two postseason matches against the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots, the Broncos struggled to contain James Cook, Josh Allen, and Drake Maye.
Denver didn’t do too bad a job limiting Rhamondre Stevenson as he carried the ball 25 times for 71 yards while averaging 2.8 yards per run. McDonald, who’s 6-foot-3 and 326 pounds, finished his most recent season with the Buckeyes, making 31 tackles, 3 sacks, and forcing 2 fumbles.
According to NFL Draft Buzz, some areas where McDonald can improve are in his pass-rushing abilities. The report also mentioned how he’s not as productive on passing downs and can often become stagnant if it’s not a run play.
With Caleb Banks and Peter Woods already off the board, McDonald could be exactly who Denver is eyeing. He could be a great potential replacement for Franklin-Myers and can become a part of a rotation with the Broncos’ other nose tackles that can make the team’s defensive line even better than it was last season.
Eli Stowers, Tight End, Vanderbilt
Denver has Evan Engram and signed Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins to extensions. However, the team still lacks production at the tight end position. Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers is definitely the second-best tight end in the draft after Kenyon Sadiq. There is a chance he can fall to Denver as he’s projected to be a second-round pick.
Stowers brings the explosiveness that Bo Nix needs from a tight end to help the offense continue to elevate. Stowers can do a multitude of things, such as creating separation to get open, gaining a lot of yards, especially on third down, and breaking tackles.
In his final season with Vanderbilt, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end caught 62 receptions for 769 yards and 4 touchdowns while also averaging 12.4 yards per catch. If Stowers’ transition to the NFL is smooth, he will be a primary solution to the Broncos’ struggles converting on third downs and in the red zone.
NFL Draft Buzz mentioned that some concerns with Stowers are how he is undersized and can lack physicality when in physical matchups with defensive backs at the line, the need to improve his run blocking skills, his drop rate increasing most recently compared to previous seasons, and the fact that he had no special teams experience in college.
Sean Payton, Davis Webb, and all of the other additions the team made to the offensive staff this offseason should have no issue developing Stowers and helping him improve where he needs to, while Stowers will have the chance to solidify himself as one of the best tight ends the Broncos have had since Julius Thomas if selected by Denver.
Jacob Rodriguez, Linebacker, Texas Tech
The Broncos also have a lot of linebackers, but as mentioned before, they struggled to stop the run and cover running backs who can turn into receivers. Denver recently gave Alex Singleton an extension while releasing Dre Greenlaw. Drew Sanders is also on the roster, but has dealt with injuries his entire career with the Broncos.
Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez is another player, like McDonald, who would do well in Joseph’s defense. Rodriguez is a jack-of-all-trades at linebacker, as he can stop the run, get to the quarterback on rushing downs, and also cover, which is the type of linebacker Denver needs.
Some weaknesses Rodriguez has, as NFL Draft Buzz noted, are his struggles to get off the blocks of interior linemen due to shorter arms, missing tackles on cutback runs, and coverage issues, particularly when guarding vertical route concepts.
The 6-foot-1, 231-pound linebacker ended his college career strong with 63 tackles, 7 forced fumbles, 4 interceptions, and 1 sack. He is more than capable of improving at covering deep routes, given his ability to intercept the ball, which often came as a result of baiting the quarterback into throwing while he was in coverage.
It almost seems like Rodriguez to the Broncos is too good to be true, as he will most likely be gone if they don’t try to trade up and draft him. Rodriguez doesn’t have to only be an inside, middle, or outside linebacker, but can play wherever the team needs to fill a hole at the position.
