Everything to know about new Denver Broncos DL Tyler Onyedim

**Denver Broncos have signed 13 undrafted free agents** Denver wasted no time after the draft ended, inking 13 UDFAs to round out the 90-man roster. The 20 total additions (seven draft picks plus 13 UDFAs) will require a couple of roster cuts before deals are finalized. The article highlights Denver’s rich history of finding legitimate contributors through the UDFA process — Chris Harris Jr., Rod Smith, Shaq Barrett, and most recently Ja’Quan McMillian all went undrafted before becoming key pieces for the franchise. If even one or two of these 13 follow that path, the post-draft haul could end up rivaling the draft itself.

Potent quotables – Tyler Onyedim focus

Paton and Payton Quotes on Onyedim

**On what stood out about DT Tyler Onyedim and what he will bring to the defense**

**Sean Payton:**“I think going through this process, it was really the athleticism and playing a position that it’s always hard to find defensive tackles. His strike, his shed. But it was the athlete, make up. Those were the traits.”

**On if he thinks DT Tyler Onyedim could potentially fill the role previously played by Titans DL John Franklin-Myers**

**SP:**“Definitely when we’re taking a player in that spot, we discuss vision all the time. Yes, absolutely. They’re going to come in [and] earn their place. We go through this all the time. After the read, Broncos’ vision Year 1. It was positive, not only with the scouts, but with the coaches as well.”

**On moving back and waiting until the end of the third round to make their first pick while watching players go off the board**

**George Paton:**“It’s a typical draft. There was a run at certain positions as we figured there would be. It fell like we thought it would. I think I mentioned we had six players, and they all started going—the six. [DT] Tyler [Onyedim] was one of the six. It fell kind of like we thought it would. Yesterday as you mentioned, that’s a boring day, but we forget, we did trade for one of the better receivers in the league [WR Jaylen Wadle], so it was a good day.”

**On how reflective this pick is of their desire to build the trenches and win at the line of scrimmage**

**SP:**“When the season ends and you begin to look at free agency, there are certain positions that are just harder to find. When you look at our roster, it could have been offensive line at the right position. It could have been a few other positions. It’s harder to find those defensive linemen and offensive linemen. When the window of free agency begins, they’re valued. They’re hard.”

**On what Defensive Line Coach Jamar Cain shared about DT Tyler Onyedim during the pre-draft process**

**SP:**“I think there are a series of postseason—call it spring—checks. Combine, visits, learning. Those were extremely positive and very important to the process. Bronco fit. I think our scouting staff, all the guys that work on it have a really good vision as to maybe what our team is expecting as well sitting here in 2026 regarding make up and toughness. It was Jamar, but it was area scouts, cross-check scouts. There’s so much that goes in [to it]. When the process ends, how maybe reports total? There would be eight to 10, conservatively. Then the board is set. With this pick, I felt like together for the last call it three weeks [or a] month, that group of six, seven, eight players, the amount of film that you continue to challenge yourself with. So you feel like you really know exactly the vision and the traits because if you’re picking at [No.] 14 or 15, there is a two or three players spray or dispersion. You back it up a little bit, and that gets a little wider. We were a week ahead I felt like, and there was a lot of film on him watched.”

**On if DT Tyler Onyedim showed an expanded portfolio at Texas A&M**

**GP:** At Iowa State they were playing him at a different… It was a 3-3-5 scheme. He was two-gapping, playing blocks. He wasn’t penetrating; he wasn’t rushing as much. He got to see and do more at A&M which he’ll be doing here. The tape was good at Iowa State, but we really liked it at A&M.”

**SP:** “That defensive scheme sometimes, that’s one of the challenges to projecting but the importance of him at the A&M exposure… You got to see a guy play a different position or technique. I think that probably helped a lot of teams, not just us.”

**On DT Tyler Onyedim’s character and how he fits in the defense**

**SP:** “It’s one of the things I think we were just talking about. As you begin to procure talent into a roster that we have, into a culture that we have, it’s very important. I think the current environment today—and I’m talking about college football. There has been a lot discussed about NIL, [transfer] portal, eligibility. We’re kind of passed the COVID after this year. But that current environment almost adds a couple test tubes to the benefit of clubs, I think, relative to how they handle maybe money, how they handle the process, whether it’s transferring… It’s just a little bit more available. We probably had more in the box category than two years ago. I think you’re getting more opportunities to evaluate behavior.”

Tyler Onyedim Quotes

**On the contact he had with the Broncos during the pre-draft process**

“I talked to the defensive line coach [Jamar Cain]. He said he really liked my play [and] he really liked the player I was. I feel like my contact went really, really good. I love the defensive line. I love my boy ‘Enyi’ (DL Eyioma Uwazurike). I told him all that, and he knew what it is. I used to go to Iowa State, so I played with ‘Enyi’ my first year. I’m excited to be with my dog. I talked to the defensive line coach, and we talked about everything and all that.”

**On joining the Broncos defense**

“It’s going to be a blessing, being able to learn from the best. They have a really, really good defensive line. I’m excited; I’m happy; I’m excited. I’m just ready to go. I’m ready to go.”

**On his relationship with DL Eyioma Uwazurike and if they have stayed in touch**

“That’s big brother. That’s big bro. That’s my dog. He’s going to be in my wedding; I’m going to be in his wedding. That’s my brother. That’s my big brother. I’m happy to be back.”

**On his mindset on joining a team that was a game away from the Super Bowl last season**

“The mindset is just to learn, don’t be an arrogant person. Just learn, and sit back and learn from the best. That’s my mindset, just learn from the best and cramming everything so I can be the best player I know I can be.”

**On if he has studied the Broncos defense last season**

“I studied all of them boys, I studied all of them. They’re all good players. [Titans DL] John Franklin-Myers, [DL] Zach Allen, [DL] Eyioma Uwazurike, all of them boys. Everybody on the defensive line are really good players. I’m excited to get to work with them and learn.”

**On what he thinks he does best and the areas he wants to get better at in the NFL**

“I feel like I’m a versatile player. I can play anywhere on the defensive line. I feel like my get off is a really good get off. I have a really good first step. I feel like I’m a true defensive lineman. When you hear defensive lineman, you probably think about defensive tackles and defensive ends. No, I’m a true defensive lineman. So that’s me.”

**On his communication with the Broncos and if he thought he would end up in Denver**

“The last time I talked to them, and I can’t lie—I can’t really remember the last time. I talked to a lot of teams. I think it was after or before my Pro Day, I was on the phone with them and everything. That’s all I remember for real. I don’t really remember the exact time.”

**On what his draft night experience has been like**

“I prayed. I prayed to God. We talked about this. I’ve been praying about this my whole entire life, so just me waiting. I know the coach really wanted me. I saw Denver on the clock. I saw they traded. I just had a feeling they were picking me. I just had a feeling. When they traded, I looked at my agent, and I just knew. I knew what it was. That’s how I felt.”

**On how he would describe himself as a teammate**

“I went to two great programs. Being a great teammate was what I had to do. I had to be a great teammate to even play in those systems. I’m ready. I feel like it’s the perfect place for me.”

Under the radar

Mike Clay tweeted out the BIG LIST of available NFL free agents as of today. There are a lot of names out there and I would expect teams to begin engaging a lot of these players post-draft.

From the FEED

A FEED post from UpUpAway asked who the Broncos should target in the next wave of free agency.

Everything Tyler Onyedim

We here at Mile High Report covered each Denver Broncos draft pick in a variety of ways, but the news feed got deep fast and much of that coverage was buried in short order. That probably was not so much the case with their first pick, Tyler Oynedim, but I’ll start there and go through each day this week covering the next pick they made and into next week. I curated all of the quotes related to Oynedim above in the “Potent Quotables” section, so down here I’ll just link back to all of the content we were able to cover related to Oynedim and his selection by Denver in the third round.

**Denver Broncos select Texas A&M DT Tyler Onyedim with their 66th overall selection** Denver traded back from No. 62 to No. 66 with the Buffalo Bills, picking up a sixth-rounder (No. 182) in the process, and used the selection on Texas A&M defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim. With the top linebackers and tight ends already off the board, the Broncos pivoted to the defensive trenches to address the void left by John Franklin-Myers’ departure to Tennessee. Onyedim recorded 48 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks in his lone season at Texas A&M after transferring from Iowa State.

**Denver Broncos defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim’s college highlights** MHR breaks down the tape on Denver’s new DT, and the highlights show exactly why the Broncos went traits over production. Onyedim flashes legitimate explosiveness out of his stance with the kind of first-step quickness that’s difficult to coach, and his ability to shoot gaps and slice through blocks jumps off the film. The piece reinforces that this was a bet on developmental upside with the right coaching staff to unlock it.

**What grade do you give Denver Broncos third-round pick Tyler Onyedim?** MHR puts the question to the fanbase with a reader poll asking the community to grade Denver’s selection of Onyedim at No. 66. The pick generated mixed reactions, with some fans excited about the athletic traits and others questioning whether the Broncos should have targeted a more NFL-ready contributor given their Super Bowl window. The article invites the community to weigh in on whether this was the right call for a team built to win now.

**Why the Broncos drafted DT Tyler Onyedim** The rationale boils down to keeping the defensive line dominant. Sean Payton highlighted Onyedim’s athleticism as the standout trait in the evaluation process, and Paton confirmed he was one of the six players on their pre-draft shortlist at No. 62. At 6’3″, 292 pounds with 34-inch arms, Onyedim profiles as a one-gap penetrator who can come in and compete immediately for snaps vacated by Franklin-Myers, with positional flexibility to align in multiple spots across the front.

**Broncos continue to build upon strengths with Day 2 selection of Tyler Onyedim** MHR frames the Onyedim pick as classic Paton/Payton strategy — reinforcing a position of strength rather than chasing need. Denver’s defensive line has led the NFL in sacks in back-to-back seasons, and rather than letting that edge erode after losing Franklin-Myers, they added a battle-tested lineman with the versatility to play in both odd and even fronts on either side of the formation. The small trade back with Buffalo to pick up an extra sixth-rounder while still landing their guy was a savvy bit of draft capital management.

**Scouting report for Broncos defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim** The full scouting breakdown on Onyedim paints a prospect with legitimate NFL tools — great size, length, power, and a quick first step that generates drive — but one who still needs polish. The concerns are real: at sub-300 pounds he risks getting bullied at the point of attack, his block recognition is slow against down blocks and reaches, and the arm tackling that worked in college won’t fly at the next level. The “tweener” label looms if he can’t add mass. The upside case rests on Vance Joseph’s staff coaching up the raw tools into a reliable interior presence.

**Denver Broncos receive solid grade for drafting Tyler Onyedim** The outside consensus on Onyedim at No. 66 came in favorable. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had him as his 74th overall player and seventh-best DT in the class with a third-round grade, making this a solid value pick. SB Nation gave Denver a B+ for the selection, praising his length as something that “can’t be taught” while acknowledging he’s an upside bet who needs time to develop. The general vibe from analysts: not a splash pick, but a smart one for a team that knows how to develop defensive linemen. Now that you’ve had a few days to marinate on Denver’s first pick. How do you feel about Tyler Onyedim?