Broncos' 7 Round Mock Draft After Jaylen Waddle Trade

Other options: Arkansas RB Mike Washington Jr. and LSU safety A.J. Haulcy.

I was honestly surprised that the running back wasn’t the selection. Even with J.K. Dobbins back, his health concerns and RJ Harvey’s issues running the ball made Washington more sensible to me and where I would’ve gone. Well, those making the selections disagreed, and Golday is the pick. 

However, Golday does make a lot of sense for the Broncos, even with Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton back. Golday is a good athlete, and at Cincinnati, he was trusted to cover the slot vertically, even against smaller, faster receivers.

He does well when working downhill, but he does have some issues when he gets caught on blocks. 

Golday has the build of an old-school linebacker on a modern-day linebacker frame. There are issues with his change of direction, due to his height, but his recovery athleticism helps make up for it. The instincts and football IQ appear to be at NFL standards. 

Round 4, Pick 108: Bud Clark | S | TCU

Note: I gave all fourth-round options at the same time and told the guys to pick two, since the picks were so close together and all options were available at both. 

Other Options: Notre Dame TE Eli Raridon, TCU LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Florida OT Austin Barber, Arizona S Genesis Smith, and Stanford TE Sam Roush.

Clark is a small, feisty safety with off-the-charts ball skills, instincts, and football IQ. He flies all over the field making plays, and is rarely caught out of position.

However, Clark can be overaggressive in his playmaking attempts and gives up big plays as a result. Medicals are a concern, but he will also be an older rookie, which fits the mold of what Denver has looked for. 

Round 4, Pick 111: Kaleb Proctor | IDL | Southeastern Louisiana

Proctor is a small-school pass rusher from the 4i to the 7 technique alignment on the defensive front. He will need a lot of work as a run defender, but the pass-rush traits are great, and if he continues to do what he did at a bigger school, he could be pushing the first round.

There are many concerns about Proctor's run defense and the jump he is making, but he has been a rapid riser throughout the draft process. 

For these two picks, with Washington in the second round, I would’ve gone for Roush or Raridon with one of the picks and Elarms-Orr with the other. Raridon is an all-around player with medical concerns and needs development, while Roush has length concerns but is a strong technical blocker.

I'm still deciding who to take. Elarms-Orr gives Denver a third linebacker with traits to develop, while also offering enough to play on special teams and on defense if needed. 

Round 5, Pick 170: Oscar Delp | TE | Georgia

Other Options: Penn State IDL Zane Durant, Cincinnati TE Joe Royer, Texas A&M OL Ar'maj Reed-Adams.

I would’ve gone for Reed-Adams here. He fits the Broncos' blocking scheme exceptionally well, and could be looked to develop as a Ben Powers replacement after this year.

Reed-Adams would boost depth as a rookie and provide a potential replacement in 2027. This is also true for taking a tight end in the fourth round, which was my own process. 

Delp has the traits to do it all and has been such a hyped prospect, but has failed to back it up year after year. A foot injury at the Combine hurt his stock, but there have been reports that the injury concerns run deeper than the foot.

This late, Delp's upside is worth the risk in developing him into a capable all-around player. 

Round 7, Pick 246: Jimmy Rolder | LB | Michigan

Note: I gave all the seventh-round options at once and told the guys to pick three, since they are close enough together. Only the first seventh-round pick was chosen by the group, with ties for the last two; the tiebreaker was whoever was selected the most in the simulations. 

Other Options: Buffalo LB Red Murdock, Arizona State LB KeyShaun Elliott, Texas OL DJ Campbell, North Dakota State QB Cole Payton, Cincinnati WR Jeff Caldwell, USC LB Eric Gentry, and Indiana TE/FB Riley Nowakowski.

Rolder was the only player who was selected by the group, and the only one I would’ve taken as well. He doesn’t have a lot of experience under his belt, but is a very raw project learning the football side of things.

There is serious potential to develop into a good starting linebacker, but it’ll take time, and there’s a risk that he will never reach that potential. 

Round 7, Pick 256: Will Kacmarek | TE | Ohio State

Kacmarek was the most common pick across the 400 simulations, as the only player selected more than 100 times; only one other made it over 75. There isn’t much there as a receiver, but enough to work as a safety outlet for the quarterback.

Kacmarek is one of the best blocking tight ends in the class, probably among the top three. 

Round 7, Pick 257: Noah Whittington | RB | Oregon

Whittington is a smaller back, but he has a compact build and is what I like to call a bowling ball. He bounces off defenders and fights for all the yards he can.

The best run of the year goes to Whittington with a play he had against Minnesota, where at one point, he had six or so defenders on him, with a couple of teammates, and broke free to score a touchdown. 

These are the three seventh-round picks I would’ve gone with, knowing how the rest of the draft turned out. A developmental linebacker, an RB3 option, and a blocking tight end who can contribute there as a rookie?

Yeah, that's a pretty good haul in the seventh round, as those positions typically bring a positive return on investment for seventh-round picks.

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