After a long wait, the Broncos made their first pick of the NFL Draft on Friday night, selecting Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim at No. 66 at the top of the third round. The move adds a new body to Denver’s defensive front after the loss of John Franklin-Myers in free agency. The selection of Onyedim comes after the Broncos traded back from their original No. 62 slot in the second round, sending that pick to the Buffalo Bills for their third-round pick and No. 182 in the sixth round.
It’s a quiet but impactful move, as Franklin-Myers was the Broncos’ most notable loss this offseason from a team that advanced to the AFC title game in 2025. The 6-foot-3, 292-pound Onyedim played four years at Iowa State before transferring to Texas A&M for his final season in 2025, racking up 2.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss for the Aggies.
“It’s gonna be a blessing, being able to learn from the best, man,” an audibly beaming Onyedim said on a post-pick conference call with reporters Friday night. “They got a really, really good D-line. I’m excited. I’m happy, I’m excited. I’m really ready to go.”
In a neat twist, Onyedim has remained close with veteran Denver defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike since a shared 2021 season at Iowa State, when Onyedim was a freshman and Uwazurike was a senior. The two are going to be in each other’s wedding parties, Onyedim said.
“That’s big bro,” Onyedim said. “That’s my dog, you know what I’m saying?”
Little bro, now, will compete with big bro for snaps at the heart of the Broncos’ defensive line in 2026. Uwazurike and third-round rookie Sai’vion Jones stood as the presumptive next men up with Franklin-Myers’ departure, with backup nose tackle Malcolm Roach also likely to shoulder some of Franklin-Myers’ snaps. Onyedim, though, is a clear direct potential replacement for the former veteran pass-rusher, as he has a nearly identical frame to Franklin-Myers (6-foot-4 and 288 pounds).
The Broncos’ third-round pick didn’t take a top-30 visit or have extensive pre-draft communication with Denver, as the organization typically keeps its board close to its vest. Onyedim, though, told reporters that Broncos defensive-line coach Jamar Cain “really liked my tape,” and he studied Franklin-Myers, Zach Allen and Denver’s defensive line in the pre-draft process.
“The mindset is just to learn, you know what I’m saying?” Onyedim said. “Don’t be no, arrogant person. Just want to sit back, learn from the vets, man.”
The Broncos were the final team of 32 to send in a draft selection in Pittsburgh. Denver, of course, no longer had its first-round pick — originally slotted for No. 30 — after the Broncos traded that slot and a third-rounder for Dolphins star receiver Jaylen Waddle in mid-March. And as general manager George Paton emphasized pre-draft that it’d be unlikely for the Broncos to trade back into the first round, the war room largely sat quiet on Thursday night, with no Denver activity as a slew of one-time targets made their way off the board.
The board looked, early in the second, like it’d fall the Broncos’ way, as no linebacker or tight end was selected until the Miami Dolphins jumped for Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez at No. 43. That, though, set off a run of picks at the Broncos’ positions of need. Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers went to the Eagles with the 54th overall pick, and the Titans jumped up to select Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. at No. 60 before the Rams snagged Ohio State tight end Max Klare one pick before the Broncos’ selection.
Instead of standing pat and continuing down their board, the Broncos opted to slide back and pick up additional draft capital, an oft-used mechanism for GM Paton. According to the Jimmy Johnson draft-pick valuation model — which assigns a numerical value to each pick in the draft — the trade graded out as a finite loss for Denver, with the value of Buffalo’s third-round and sixth-round picks at 278.2 and Denver’s former second-round slot at 284.
“We still have flexibility with the seven picks to move up, or move back and get more picks,” Paton hinted in a pre-draft presser last week. “And so, we have experience with this.”
Still, the overall positioning through Denver’s first two rounds is rare in its franchise history. The Broncos have only gone through two previous drafts — 1986 and 1995 — without picking in the first round or second round.
The Broncos, now, are set for a busy Day 3, with seven selections set across the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. Denver, too, could easily look to move back up into the third round.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.