Denver, CO
Best available Day 2 prospects for Broncos: Without trade activity ramping up, Denver has long wait until No. 76 on Friday night
The Broncos have their quarterback.
They didn’t have to pay anything extra to get Oregon’s Bo Nix, either, though they also weren’t willing to risk losing him by trading back even a few spots from No. 12.
“We just didn’t want to overthink it,” general manager George Paton said. “This is our guy. Let’s just take our guy. We did think about (moving back). Not too far. We could have moved a couple of spots back, maybe got some picks, but this was our guy. Let’s just take him and not overthink it.
“We would have been sick if we’d lost him just for a couple of fifth-round picks.”
So instead Denver heads into Day 2 with just one pick to its name: No. 76 in the third round. If they stay there, 45 players will come off the board before they make their next pick.
Here are some of the best players available after Thursday’s first round. Though many of them will come off the board beginning with Buffalo at No. 33, but these are the players that could convince Denver to try to move up or could fall to the 70s.
RB Jonathan Brooks, Texas: Would probably be the unanimous top back in the class if not for a torn ACL in November and still could be the first back off the board. Brooks waited behind Bijan Robinson at UT and was having a great year (1,139 yards on 6.1 per) before the injury.
RB Jaylen Wright, Tennessee: A walking explosive play. Averaged 7.4 yards per carry for the Vols in 2023. He ran 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at 5-11 and 210 pounds, posted a 38-inch vertical and an 11-2 broad jump.
RB Marshawn Lloyd, USC: A guy who could be around when Denver’s second turn comes up. Lloyd is smooth catching the ball and has big-time ability in the open field. Ran 4.46 in the 40 at 220 pounds and averaged 7.1 per carry for the Trojans.
WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas: Rangy wideout at 6-2 and 205 who had 845 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds and can stress defenses in multiple ways.
WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia: Always open and has the versatility to play in the slot or outside. Ran 4.39 in the 40 at 6-foot and 186 pounds. Played in nine games in 2023 due to injury after 58 catches for 762 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022.
WR Keon Coleman, Florida State: Had 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023 after transferring from Michigan State. Big-time athlete played hoops for the Spartans, too. Ran a modest 4.61 in the 40 but is imposing at 6-3 and 213 pounds.
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas: In the mix to be the second tight end off the board after Brock Bowers, who went No. 13. Sanders is a receiving threat who averaged 15.2 yards per catch as a junior. Doesn’t run particularly fast — 4.69-second 40-yard dash at the combine — but is dangerous in the receiving game at 6-4 and 250.
TE Ben Sinnott, Kansas State: A big senior year with 676 yards and six TDs. Similar size (6-4, 250) and timed speed to Sanders (4.68 at combine). Compiled 1,123 receiving yards and 10 TDs over two years starting
OL Roger Rosengarten, Washington: Highlands Ranch native who starred at Valor Christian and started the past two years at right tackle for the Huskies. Versatile player who can man three or four spots on the offensive line.
OL Kingsley Suamataia, BYU: Massive guy at 6-5 and 326 pounds who was a five-star player out of high school and turned pro after three college seasons. Started at right tackle in 2022 and left tackle last fall.
OL Dominic Puni, Kansas: First-team All-Big 12 selection who didn’t allow a sack in 342 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle in 2023 after playing left guard in 2022. Another guy who can play several positions up front.
OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon: The Broncos already have one of Nix’s former centers on the roster in Alex Forsyth. The other is Powers-Johnson, a tank of an interior offensive lineman who is likely to make a team very happy on Day 2.
Edge Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan: Big-time motor and relatively young at the position after playing TE in high school. Kneeland is 6-3 and 267 pounds.
Edge Chris Braswell, Alabama: Had 10.5 TFLs and 8.5 sacks for the Crimson Tide in 2023. Good athlete (ran 4.6 in the 40) who also had a pick-six and a blocked kick last fall.
Edge Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State: Played just up the road in Fort Collins and all he did was produce. Kamara had 13 sacks in 2023 and 29.5 for his career and likely played his way into the draft’s second day.
DL Johnny Newton, Illinois: A surprise fall out of the first round for Newton, who had offseason foot surgery. When healthy, he’s a menace inside. He should hear his name called quickly on Friday.
DL Kris Jenkins, Michigan: Never had huge production (eight TFLs, four sacks in 44 career games) but he’s an asset against the run. At 6-3 and 299, Jenkins has length and strength and ran 4.91 in the 40 at the combine.
DL Michael Hall, Ohio State: Hall is cut from the Dre’Mont Jones cloth and a Broncos option in the same range of the draft as Jones (third round). He’s 6-3 and 290 and has a big wingspan at better than 81 inches.
DL Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson: Orhorhoro is 6-4 and 294 and brings size and athleticism to the table. The Nigerian native has eight TFLs each of the past three seasons and 11.5 sacks over that span.
LB Junior Colson, Michigan: At 6-2 and 240 is more than big enough to patrol the middle of the field. Led the Wolverines in tackles the past two years while playing for a team that went 28-1 and won a national title.
CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa: A surprising fall out of the first round for DeJean, who broke his leg during his senior season but impressed at a workout earlier this month. He won’t last long Friday. Same likely goes for Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry and Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw.
CB T.J. Tampa, Iowa State: At 6-1 and 190, Tampa was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2023. Started for the Cyclones for two years and had eight TFLs in addition to the coverage work.
CB Andru Phillips, Kentucky: Not the biggest, but a feisty, tough player who stood out at the Senior Bowl. Denver may want more size at the position, but Phillips produced at 5-11. Ran 4.48 in the 40.
CB Max Melton, Rutgers: A 40-game collegiate starter who finished his career with 114 tackles, 22 passes defended and eight interceptions. Can play outside or in the slot.
S Tyler Nubin, Minnesota: A 55-game college career and school-record 13 interceptions who could have gone in the first round. He was named a first-team All-American in 2023 after he accounted for 53 tackles and five interceptions.
S Jaden Hicks, Washington State: Can do everything and is imposing at 6-2 and 215. He filled up the stat sheet in 2023, his third and final season, logging 79 tackles (six for loss), 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pair of picks while also blocking a kick.
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Factors such as declining birth rates and families moving out of the city are contributing to declining enrollment at Denver Public Schools. In turn, it’s reshaping the district’s future.
“I think we’re in a good position, but it’s responsible for us to always be looking in the future and knowing we have to make some adjustments,” said Chuck Carpenter, the district’s CFO.
In a two-year span between this past school year and next, DPS expects a decline in enrollment of around 1,700 students.
“We haven’t really seen anything like this,” said Carpenter in response to the consistent decline.
Because of this trend, the district is facing a $28 million structural deficit over the next five years.
“We have a balanced budget now, and we’re not predicting that we’ll have an unbalanced budget in three years,” said Carpenter. “We’re saying we need to make adjustments over the next three, four years, so that our budgets are balanced.”
DPS’s Director of Campus Planning, Andrew Huber, told CBS Colorado in an interview last month that those adjustments will likely include closing down more schools.
“Additional school closures will be necessary in the upcoming years. When exactly that would be is hard to forecast right now,” said Huber.
The district’s CFO says his biggest takeaway from a recent round of closures is to make sure to give families options for what’s next.
“No one wants their school closed, but the second-best option isn’t going to be the same for every family,” said Carpenter.
This issue could be one Denver faces for years to come.
“We sort of say, how many kids are born here? Because in five years, those kids will be kindergartners,” Carpenter added.
The city’s birth rate peaked in 2005, meaning those babies have already graduated high school. And, according to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, more young families move out of Denver and into surrounding counties than move into the city.
“I think school consolidation is very — I understand why people want to talk about it, but I think it’s more about, like, how do we make sure that the programs that are offered are rich programs,” said Carpenter.
Carpenter also says the district is closely monitoring some potential cuts to federal grants for students of poverty and language learners. He says those decisions will be made by October for the start of the new fiscal year, and cuts would have a “terrible” impact.
The Denver Broncos hosted eight tryout players at mandatory minicamp this week, including quarterback Sawyer Robertson. It sounds like the team has made decisions on those tryout players, and Robertson won’t be signed (at least not right now).
Instead, the Broncos are signing offensive lineman Reid Holskey (according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) and cornerback Blake Cotton (according to the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel). Holskey (6-6, 306 pounds) spent time on the Houston Texans’ practice squad in 2025 before joining the New York Giants in January. He was cut by New York last month. Cotton (6-2, 195 pounds) is a rookie who spent last fall at Utah, totaling 30 tackles and seven pass breakups in 13 games.
The two moves came one day after Denver wrapped up minicamp. The 91-man offseason roster was already full, so the Broncos will need to make corresponding moves to make room for Holskey and Cotton on the roster.
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Sean Payton has seen enough. The Denver Broncos’ third practice of mandatory minicamp, which was set to happen on Thursday, has been canceled.
“Just schedule-wise, today will be our last day,” Payton said after Wednesday’s practice. “I just finished telling them that. It’s unusual because there’s a lot of packing, a little bit more than normal when you’re moving into another facility. So when we’re back here, we’ll be in the new building.”
The Broncos are moving into their new state-of-the-art facility, but the decision to cancel the final practice of the offseason was motivated primarily by what Payton has seen thus far and how the team is shaping up.
Thus concludes the Broncos’ offseason training program, which featured eight total practices as a team, four of which were open to the media. There was more on-field activity than that, including walkthrough practices unseen by the press, but in essence, we’re talking about eight sessions.
Some players have already begun to separate themselves in their respective competitions. Others have really popped, while some have failed to really stand out in any meaningful way.
By way of a Broncos stock report, let’s get to the biggest winners and losers of mandatory minicamp.
Winner: Bo Nix | QB
Nix finally returned to the practice field on Tuesday, the first day of minicamp. He was limited to individual drills only, but it was still great to see him out there.
On Day 2, though, Nix took another big step forward, participating in a 7-on-7 drill that included a highlight-reel touchdown pass to RJ Harvey. Just getting Nix back on the field was a big win for the Broncos, but seeing him progress over two days and look overall very sharp was more than a little encouraging.
Winner: Jaylen Waddle | WR
Waddle has been a lightning rod since the practices were opened to the media. He just looks different. That speed and explosiveness really add an element to the Broncos’ offense that has been lacking.
It’s been palpable. But arguably just as exciting is what Waddle’s teammates and coaches have been saying about him. Payton has called him a “force multiplier,” which is another way of saying that he makes everyone around him better.
Not that we really had reason to doubt it, but Waddle has been as advertised thus far, and then some.
Loser: Marvin Mims Jr. | WR
Mims is not listed as a loser because of any specific negative plays, like a dropped pass or a mental miscue. It’s just that, with other receivers, including Waddle, shining, generating buzz, and earning plaudits from Payton, Mims didn’t really.
Mims is a similar receiver type as Waddle, but the newcomer made it clear how much separation exists between them in practice. Now, Mims is still important to the Broncos, especially as a returner, and Payton did compliment his clutch gene and contributions in big games, but you have to wonder how he fits into the game plan on offense. That question still hasn’t been answered.
Winner: J.K. Dobbins | RB
Dobbins was his usually talkative self at minicamp, but the fact that he was healthy and out there doing his thing is a major win for the Broncos. It’s good to have him part of the daily process at Broncos HQ again because he’s one of those veterans that takes players under his wing, and elevates them.
Winner: Que Robinson | OLB
With the recent off-the-field drama the Broncos have dealt with, some extra attention was paid to the Broncos’ outside linebackers. Robinson, in particular, separated himself during minicamp.
His get-off is something else, and he was dispruptive during the Broncos’ team periods. Vance Joseph has said he views Robinson as a “future starter.” Pending Cooper’s situation, the future could be now, though Elliss will also have something to say about that.
Robinson had one heck of an offseason. I’m really looking forward to his second year.
Loser: Jonathon Cooper | OLB
After being arrested twice in the span of a week, the Broncos excused Cooper from mandatory minicamp. It would seem the Broncos want to create some distance from Cooper until his legal troubles are resolved, one way or another.
It’s a shame, in more ways than one. Beyond what legal ramifications might await Cooper, he’s very likely to be suspended by the NFL, and the Broncos releasing him at some point is not outside the bounds of the plausible. It’s a good thing that rush linebacker room is stacked.
Winner: Matt Henningsen | DL
None of these winners has been quite as surprising as Henningsen. He made a huge play on Day 1 of minicamp, tipping a Sam Ehlinger pass and returning it to the house.
Henningsen followed that up with another disruptive Day 2. He’s gone from being an after thought in the Broncos’ defensive line conversation to establishing himself as a bona fide threat for the roster.
Loser: Jahdae Barron | CB
Like Mims, Barron wasn’t bad during the offseason; he just didn’t pop, really, in any way. He broke up one pass on Day 2 of minicamp, but beyond that, there wasn’t much to see.
It will be interesting to see how Barron performs in training camp. We know the Broncos have high expectations for him, and a role on defense, even if as a depth piece, will be created for him, but I was hoping to see more signs of a Year-2 leap by now.
Winner: Jonah Coleman | RB
Another as-advertised player. Coleman has proven he’s ready for the NFL, which was partly what attracted the Broncos to him in the draft.
Coleman stood out in a major way at minicamp and made it clear that the Broncos have more than just a J.K. Dobbins insurance policy on their hands. Coleman is a force to be reckoned with.
Winner: Tyler Onyedim | DL
Like Coleman the Broncos’ first pick in the 2026 draft has looked NFL-ready. The Broncos still haven’t signed Onyedim, but that didn’t stop him from participating in the offseason program, which is a good harbinger.
Rocking the No. 98 jersey, it’s easy to mistake Onyedim for the guy he was drafted to replace: John Franklin-Myers. That’s especially true when the rookie is out there making plays like JFM. Onyedim has earned praise from his teammates, including the All-Pro Zach Allen.
Winner: Evan Engram | TE
Engram looked very good in minicamp this week. He looked like a big, athletic, smooth, explosive receiver, which is what he’s been in the NFL.
Engram wasn’t really all those things in his first year with the Broncos, but I’m hopeful that Year 2 will be different for the two-time Pro Bowler. He’s had a good summer.
Winner: Troy Franklin | WR
Franklin seems like the obvious No. 3 receiver in the pecking order. That doesn’t mean he’ll get the No. 3 snaps on an exclusive basis, though.
As the Broncos’ No. 2 last year, Franklin wasn’t able to fully live up to that, although he took some big steps forward in his second year. As the No. 3, it’s more his natural spot and that should allow him to continue to thrive in the offense, especially with the connection he has with Bo Nix dating back to Oregon.
Winner: Sam Ehlinger | QB
Ehlinger had a great offseason. He looked way more comfortable and far sharper in the offense in what is his second go-around in Payton’s offense.
Ehlinger was sharp this summer, and if he can continue to build on the foundation he’s created, it could create some uncomfortable conversations at Broncos HQ.
Loser: Jarrett Stidham | QB
Stidham has been less noteworthy this summer, but that doesn’t mean he’s been bad. In comparison to Ehlinger, though, Stidham wasn’t as good, which is curious, considering his standing as the team’s primary backup since 2023.
If Ehlinger ends up leapfrogging Stidham, what do the Broncos do? They’re holding a competition for QB2, and they have to be prepared for the possibility of Ehlinger winning it, especially after his strong summer.
If Ehlinger forces this issue, Stidham could become expendable. Stidham is very unlikely to be a cut candidate because of his contract, but as a trade piece? There’s a reason the rumor mill has been active on the Stidham topic this offseason. It’s something to watch.
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