Sean Payton Clarifies Evan Engram’s Role Entering the Draft

As for what the draft could hold, Payton extolled the virtues of the tight end class. It sounds like tight end is front-of-brain for Denver, but Payton's words could be a smoke screen.

"I would say this about this class in my opinion, if you are looking for a blocking ‘Y’, there are a handful available that would be targeted," Payton said. "If you are looking for a 'move,' maybe a little bit undersized ‘F’, they are out there. To each his own, the different type of tight ends are available. It’s always a challenge with that position because sometimes you are projecting maybe in an offense that is playing them differently."

The Broncos have one of the better 'F' tight ends in Engram, even if he's well on the wrong side of 30. Payton and Nix can still make a lot of hay with Engram, especially with new offensive coordinator Davis Webb now calling the plays.

However, the Broncos could really (and I mean really) use an upgrade at the Y. Trautman gives them a plausible option if they had to go to war tomorrow, but he's not a true asset, and some would argue that he's, in fact, a blocking liability, no matter how much the Broncos try to gaslight everyone on the subject.

Potential Y TE Candidates

This draft class features some very intriguing Y candidates, including Georgia's Oscar Delp — who could be so, so much more — Texas A&M's Nate Boerkircher, and Ohio State's Will Kacmarek, to name a few. After the foot injury that was discovered at the Combine back in February, Delp's draft stock took a hit, but he resurrected it during the Georgia pro day with how he performed.

I could see Delp going in Round 2. He could be in play for Denver at No. 62 overall. The Broncos say they have "six players" they're targeting in Round 2, but there's no way to know if Delp is one of them.

Another guy who could grow into a Y tight end but is, for now, an F is Ohio State's Max Klare, who's widely viewed as the third-best player at the position in this class behind Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq and Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers. I would rank Delp as the No. 2 behind Sadiq, but because he didn't test at the Combine, he won't be viewed that way until perhaps a few years down the road.

Delp could be one of the biggest steals in the 2026 NFL draft. If the Broncos were to target him, he could not only offer them long-term viability to replace Trautman inside, but he's also one heck of a receiver, which would make him a great 'move' tight end, like Engram.

The Takeaway

The possibilities are endless, which is part of what makes the run-up to the draft so fascinating, but also maddening. Time will tell whether the Broncos prioritize tight end in this draft, but we can all say for sure now that Engram is part of the 2026 offensive vision.