While the National Football League is just hitting the Week 7, we are already eight games into the college football season. That’s essentially the halfway point outside of the playoffs and lengthy bowl game experience. Thus far, we have covered a lot of ground in Future Broncos discussing various prospects at a variety of positions that might be intriguing fits for the team to pursue in the 2026 NFL Draft. For this Saturday, I thought it would be apt to discuss some of the position groups that appear
to be the strongest at the midpoint of the collegiate season.
The 2026 NFL Draft stars are aligning for the Broncos at inside linebacker
We don’t know what the future holds for Dre Greenlaw. Broncos Country is collectively holding its breath and wishing for the best with Greenlaw, who is expected to make his regular season debut this weekend against the New York Giants. If he can remain healthy, the Denver Broncos have a high-end starter under contract for a few seasons. But there is nothing over the past few years to suggest that seems something worth betting on.
If that doesn’t happen? Well, they are back to ground zero again at the position long-term. Both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are free agents at the end of the season. I think the Broncos could end up getting a starting caliber player out of their UDFA trio of Jordan Turner, Karene Reid, and Levelle Bailey—but they can’t bank on that. And what little we have seen from Drew Sanders gives me little optimism with respect to him being a fixture in the team’s plans moving forward.
Over a month ago, I dedicated an article discussing two of my favorite prospects in this year’s class at inside linebacker. But man, over the past month a few other players [some I noted as players to watch] have really helped their draft stock. In turn, they have really helped showcase the depth of this class. It would be hard to argue against this position group being the crème de la crème of the ‘26 class.
Ohio State’s Arvell Reese has been absolutely amazing. Reese is a blue-chip star that can dominate against the run, pass, and as a pressure player getting after the quarterback. He is easily a Top 15 pick now—if not higher. Over in Indiana, senior linebacker Aiden Fisher keeps piling up tackles at an incredible pace and may have worked himself into Day 2 consideration. That guy is always around the ball. I’ve even been impressed with Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, who fits the mold of a classic, throwback linebacker that’s fundamentally sound working in the booth and moving downhill.
The Broncos have a full slate of Day 1 and Day 2 selections, as well as an extra early fourth-round pick from the New Orleans Saints due to the Devaughn Vele trade. Given what I’ve seen thus far, I think the Broncos will have a chance to draft a guy that can make an immediate impact for the defense early in the Top 100 picks. Can you imagine this Broncos’ defense with one of the elite linebackers available? Whew!
I’m still optimistic on the offensive line depth in the ‘26 Class
The Broncos have had the luxury of a healthy offensive line that has performed quite well since Head Coach Sean Payton took over. Unfortunately, things have been a bit different this season. They lost starting left guard Ben Powers in Week 5 due to a torn bicep injury. His replacement, Matt Peart, struggled in his stead and was subsequently placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Factoring in losing Nick Gargiulo prior to the season, and the Broncos’ backup depth has taken a serious hit to date.
Such adversity can also present opportunity. Alex Palczewski will get a chance to show what he can do at the position this Sunday against the Giants. After predominantly being a right side of the line player and additional offensive lineman in Denver’s jumbo packages since his rookie season. That will be great for long-term evaluation and I’m really hoping Palczewski performs at a high level.
Even so, whether it’s at guard or center due to the impending free agency of Luke Wattenberg, finding a way to invest in their interior offensive line in this year’s draft would be wise. Earlier on in the season, I profiled three different linemen at center, guard, and tackle the Broncos consider. Though many draft analysts have been underwhelmed by how the top tackles entering the season have performed to date, I feel that there is a lot of starting potential and depth at center and guard.
I pegged Auburn’s Connor Lew as the preliminary top center. But halfway through the season, SEC counterpart Jake Slaughter has had a remarkable start to the season despite the Florida Gators struggles. He is a name to keep your eye on as someone who is showcasing Day 1 starting ability. If he continues to dominate, he might get the nod over Lew as this year’s top center.
Another under-the-radar prospect to watch is Michigan State’s Matt Gulbin. Formerly of Wake Forest, the redshirt senior is a battle-tested player with a lot of experience at both guard positions and center. Don’t forget Iowa Hawkeye’s standout Logan Jones. It’s took some time for his collegiate career to take off due to injury, but he has manned down the pivot for four straight seasons and is going up against quality prospects most every week. I think he would be a good fit in the Mile High City.
Other draft thoughts and thoughts on potential positions of strength
Given the Broncos’ needs at linebacker and the interior offensive line, this year’s class being strong at those positions is beneficial for the Broncos. Each year, the discussion on drafting best player available versus need takes place. In fact, a lot of fans seem to be critical of the lack of return on the investment from the 2025 class, but it’s not really fair to judge a class so easily. Though I was hoping for a little bit more of an immediate impact from them.
Nevertheless, I think this year’s class has a lot going for it relative to where the Broncos need to improve long-term. Given their number of early selections, I believe Denver will have a good shot at getting players who can contribute right away. As for other positions, I think that wide receiver and defensive line boast a good amount of depth as well.
