July 18, 2026, 8:00 a.m. MT<\/p>\n
In his mid-summer 2027 NFL mock draft<\/a> update for Draft Wire, Paul M. Banks has the Denver Broncos<\/a> beefing up their defensive line in the first round.<\/p>\n Banks projects Oregon defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington landing with the Broncos<\/a> at pick No. 22 overall. “This is a name to keep an extra eye on \u2014 he should, at least in theory, shoot up the board during the season,” Banks wrote of Washington<\/a>.<\/p>\n Washington (6-3, 320 pounds) earned first-team All-American honors last fall after totaling 33 tackles (4.5 behind the line), eight pass breakups and 1.5 sacks in 15 games as a junior. If he has a strong showing in his senior season, Washington could be a first-round target for Denver in 2027.<\/p>\n The Broncos just used a third-round pick on Sai’vion Jones in 2025 and a third-round pick on Tyler Onyedim in 2026, but they like to stack the trenches. Eyioma Uwazurike is scheduled to become a free agent in 2027, D.J. Jones will hit free agency in 2028 and Malcolm Roach’s contract will expire in 2029. So it wouldn’t be shocking to see Denver continue planning ahead on the defensive line.<\/p>\n Social: Follow\u00a0Broncos Wire<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter\/X<\/a>!\u00a0Did you know:\u00a0These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans<\/a>.<\/p>\n