Broncos get disappointing grade from Mel Kiper Jr. for non-exciting draft class

Broncos get disappointing grade from Mel Kiper Jr. for non-exciting draft class originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Denver Broncos came into the 2026 NFL Draft without their first-round pick after trading it to the Miami Dolphins for star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Had they kept the pick, they could've had Denzel Boston, Jadarian Price, T.J. Parker, Christian Miller, Zion Young, or Keldric Faulk. Waddle is great, but when solely looking at the prospects added in this year's draft, there's a clear star missing for Denver.

That lack of a headliner is why ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Broncos a disappointing C+ grade for their draft. The big reason why he gave this grade was the lack of excitement the Broncos' picks gave him.

Broncos non-exciting draft class gets C+ grade from Mel Kiper Jr.

"Denver Broncos: C+," Kiper Jr. writes. "... But there isn't a ton to get super excited about here."

Kiper is not a huge fan of what Sean Payton and George Paton did during the NFL Draft. While he doesn't mind the Waddle trade, the actual rookies drafted by Denver don't excite him.

And it's easy to see why. Their first pick, in the third-round, was defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim. He was a little bit of a reach, but he should help replace John Franklin-Myers, who left in free agency.

Jonah Coleman in the fourth-round was an interesting pick as well, as J.K. Dobbins re-signed for around $16 million over two years, and was just an early pick last year. His role will overlap with Dobbins, making this pick a bit of an odd one.