For the first two installments of Future Broncos, we took a look at the team’s slate of draft picks and potential needs to address in the 2027 NFL Draft. This week, we will take a look at three prospects fans across Broncos Country should tune into for the official first week of college football that runs today through next Saturday.
Cayden Green — Offensive Tackle — Mizzou
Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey will return again to be the tackle duo for the Denver Broncos this season. Bolles is coming off a great season and continues to play
at a high level. While McGlinchey has arguably been the steadiest right tackle the franchise has had in ages.
Speaking of time, it’s been forever since Denver has invested an early selection at offensive tackle. In fact, next April’s draft will mark a decade since Bolles was selected out of Utah with the Broncos’ first round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Maybe the Broncos finally opt to go that route this spring.
One player to watch this week and throughout the season will be Mizzou Tigers left tackle Cayden Green who projects as a first-round pick. Green’s collegiate career started back in 2023 with the Oklahoma Sooners, but he transferred the following season to go back to his home state and play for Mizzou.
In 2024, he was an 11-game starter for them at left guard. For their 2025 season, Green held down the left tackle spot for 11 games. He missed two games with a foot injury last year but played well over the course of the season. He surrendered just two sacks and helped pave the way for the Tigers’ dominant rushing attack.
At 6’5” and 324 pounds, Green certainly meets the physical traits teams covet at the position. He is hoping follow in the footsteps of former teammate Armand Membou who was picked 7th overall by the New York Jets in the 2025 NFL Draft. If he can put together a great senior season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him become a Top 20 selection. Green and the Tigers will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, September 3rd.
Jamari Johnson — Tight End — Oregon
One position group the Broncos may opt to address early in next year’s draft is tight end. The Broncos added Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley on Day 3 of the 2027 NFL Draft. I like their potential, but Evan Engram is in the final year of his contact, while Adam Trautman will end up being 30 by the start of next season.
The Broncos are loaded at wide receiver. However, finding a dynamic talent at tight end who has the chops and ability to play inline would be extremely beneficial for their offense. That’s why Oregon redshirt junior Jamari Johnson is someone I’ll be watching closely throughout the collegiate season.
Johnson spent his first two years at Louisville but transferred to Eugene last year in hopes to get more playing time. He played second fiddle to Kenyon Sadiq in the Duck’s offense—who was a first-round pick this past April by the New York Jets. Nevertheless, he still had a productive season with 32 catches [on 40 targets] for 510 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Johnson’s traits (6’5” and 257 pounds) and playmaking ability have him scheduled to be a first-round selection next April. He can beat you in a lot of ways, but the fact he logged over 300 run blocking snaps last season goes to show he is someone who projects confidently as an inline ‘Y’ tight end at the next level. You can catch Johnson and the Ducks in action when they host Boise State on Saturday September 5th.
Chris Cole — Linebacker — Georgia
Last year’s Future Broncos segments had a significant focus on inside linebackers. Sadly, the Broncos bypassed selecting any of the top-tier players. Instead, they opted for continuity bringing back Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad to be their starting duo for the 2026 season. C’est la vie.
I was a big fan of Georgia standout CJ Allen for Denver throughout the draft process who wound up being picked in the second round by the Indianapolis Colts. However, his teammate Chris Cole also flashed during games when given the opportunity. He has a chance to catapult up draft boards as a full-time starter this season.
Cole was a reserve player as a true freshman and appeared in all fourteen games for the Bulldogs back in ’24. As a sophomore in ‘25, he started just one game but proved to be a versatile player in Chris Schumman’s defense. The former five-star recruit posted 38 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and totaled 18 quarterback pressures on the season.
At 6’3″ and 235 pounds with an estimated 4.5 40-yard dash, Cole’s athleticism and range flash on tape. He profiles as one of the better coverage backers in this year’s class and would be a good fit in Vance Joseph’s defense due to his tremendous blitzing skills. This year’s draft class has some great talent at the position, so I’ll try and remain hopeful the Broncos can find a long-term upgrade at the position. You can catch Cole and the Bulldogs when they go up against Tennessee State on Saturday, September 5th.
