Denver Broncos NFL draft order 2026: First-round position set after playoff elimination

Denver Broncos NFL draft order 2026: First-round position set after playoff elimination
Mile High Report Mile High Report

The Denver Broncos season ended on Sunday with a crushing 10-7 AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots. The game came down just a handful of plays and they all went New England’s way. That’s how it goes. I’ll believe for the rest of my days that if Bo Nix hadn’t got injured they’d have punched their ticket to Super Bowl 60 on Sunday.

Time to move on, though. The final draft order has not yet been determined, but we can determine the Broncos pick for the first round. They will be picking 30th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Updated 2026 NFL Draft order

  1. Las Vegas Raiders
  2. New York Jets
  3. Arizona Cardinals
  4. Tennessee Titans
  5. New York Giants
  6. Cleveland Browns
  7. Washington Commanders
  8. New Orleans Saints
  9. Kansas City Chiefs
  10. Cincinnati Bengals
  11. Miami Dolphins
  12. Dallas Cowboys
  13. Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons)
  14. Baltimore Ravens
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  16. New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts)
  17. Detroit Lions
  18. Minnesota Vikings
  19. Carolina Panthers
  20. Dallas Cowboys (via Green Bay Packers)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers
  22. Los Angeles Chargers
  23. Philadelphia Eagles
  24. Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars)
  25. Chicago Bears
  26. Buffalo Bills
  27. San Francisco 49ers
  28. Houston Texans
  29. Los Angeles Rams
  30. Denver Broncos
  31. TBD
  32. TBD

The picks are done by regular season record and/or where they lost in the playoffs then by regular season record. If a tie there then it goes by weakest strength of schedule. Since the Rams finished with a worse regular season record, they secure the 29th spot, while the Broncos get their 30th.

Someone will win the Super Bowl (who cares), because our focus needs to be on looking at the future. How can this Broncos team build upon its 2025 successes? In many ways, the rebuild is well ahead of schedule. There are holes and improvements needed, especially on offense. This is going to be a huge offseason for the Denver Broncos.