The came into the 2026 NFL Draft without their first-round pick after trading it to the for star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Had they kept the pick, they could've had Denzel Boston, Jadarian Price, T.J. Parker, Christian Miller, Zion Young, or Keldric Faulk. Waddle is great, but when solely looking at the prospects added in this year's draft, there's a clear star mi sing for Denver. That lack of a headliner is why gave the Broncos a disappointing C+ grade for their draft. The big reason why he gave this grade was the lack of excitement the Broncos' picks gave him. Broncos non-exciting draft cla s gets C+ grade from Mel Kiper Jr. "Denver Broncos: C+," Kiper Jr. writes. "... But Jason Kidd Jersey there isn't a ton to get super excited about here." Kiper is not a huge fan of what Sean Payton and George Paton did during the NFL Draft. While he doesn't mind the Waddle trade, the actual rookies drafted by Denver don't excite him. And it's easy to see why. Their first pick, in the third-round, was defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim. He was a little bit of a reach, but he should help replace John Franklin-Myers, who left in free agency. Jonah Coleman in the fourth-round was an interesting pick as well, as J.K. Dobbins re-signed for around $16 million over two years, and RJ Harvey was just an early pick last year. His role will overlap with Dobbins, making this pick a bit of an odd one. More : Offensive tackle Kage Casey, tight end Justin Joly, safety Mike Scott, TE Dallen Bentley, and Mister Irrelevant Red Murdock rounded out the 2026 draft cla s for Denver. None of these players is as exciting as the players other teams got, and if Denver took someone like Faulk, Young, Boston, or even Price in the first round, this grade might look a bit different. But, in ignoring the Waddle return, the Broncos haul from the 2026 NFL Draft was a bit lackluster. A disappointing grade for Payton and Paton after getting so close to a Super Bowl appearance this past season. More Broncos news: Wilson Chandler Jersey