The Denver Broncos selected running back Jonah Coleman in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite being a Day 3 pick, he could compete for playing time in his rookie season.
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New Broncos RB Could Compete For Snaps In Year One Despite Being Selected On Day 3
The Denver Broncos waited a long time to make their first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft due to the Jaylen Waddle trade.
In the end, the Broncos had a solid draft and addressed several areas of need, so things are looking great in the Mile High City.
Running back was a big area to address, even with J.K. Dobbins back, and Denver solved that by selecting Washington Huskies RB Jonah Coleman in the fourth round at No. 108 overall.
Coleman was viewed as a sleeper in this class, so the Broncos might have landed one of the steals.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com named some Day 3 picks who could compete for starter snaps, and he had Coleman on the list.
Dobbins is injury-prone and has been for the past few years, and 2025 seventh-round pick RJ Harvey was a decent fill-in, but he projects more as a change-of-pace back.
"J.K. Dobbins returns for Denver in 2026, but he's only played more than 10 games once in the last four seasons. Coleman could find himself starting for a chunk of the year, bouncing off defenders in the open field while RJ Harvey plays the change-of-pace role in the Broncos’ rushing attack," Reuter wrote.
NFL Draft expert Todd McShay also called Coleman an "impact" player.
Coleman began his college career at Arizona, spending two years there, before following head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington.
The Denver Broncos selected running back Jonah Coleman from the Washington Huskies in the fourth round.
Jonah Coleman was picked in the fourth round at No. 108 overall.
Yes, despite being a Day 3 pick, Jonah Coleman could compete for snaps in his first year.
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In 2024, Coleman had the best year of his college career, rushing for 1,053 yards with 10 touchdowns on 193 carries.
In 2025, he had 156 carries for 758 yards and 15 scores, so while his yards decreased, he had 15 touchdowns - which was what he had combined in 2023 and 2024.
Reports state that Coleman reminds the Broncos of Dobbins for several reasons, so learning from the former Ravens star is a smart move in the long run for Denver.
As it stands currently, as long as Dobbins is healthy, he should begin the season as RB1, but Coleman should slot in as RB2 unless Harvey stuns everybody in camp.
Dobbins' injury woes are a concern once again, but the good news is this: If Dobbins misses time, Coleman is capable of being an every-down back.
The Broncos had to wait a bit due to trading away lots of picks in the Waddle trade, but grabbing Coleman on Day 3 looks like a home run for Sean Payton and the franchise.