The Denver Broncos had a chance to take one of the two top tight ends in the draft, but they took a defensive tackle.
The Denver Broncos were expected to have a relatively quiet draft after trading their top pick for receiver Jaylen Waddle, but now it looks like they’re close to sitting this one out completely.
The Broncos lent credence to that theory by trading back in the second round, sending pick No. 62 to the Buffalo Bills for Nos. 66 and No. 182, then selecting defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim of Texas A&M with No. 66.
This was especially surprising given the availability of tight end Eli Stowers, whose name wasn’t called until the Philadelphia Eagles took him at No. 54. The Eagles were identified by Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post as a possible trade partner to acquire Stowers, but they clearly had little interest.
As for Onyedim, he’s a typical defensive addition for the Broncos these days. He’s a little undersized for a defensive tackle, which is also true of Broncos tackle Zach Allen, but Onyedim sees himself as more of a defensive lineman than a pure nose tackle.
“Man, I feel like I am a versatile player. I can play anywhere on the line,” said Onyedim, who’s 6’3”, 292 pounds. “I have a good first step. I feel like I am a true defensive lineman.”
Payton was typically candid with most of his post-pick comments.
“That was a boring day,” he said when asked about Thursday’s first round, and Payton clearly had no interest in the string of inside linebackers and tight ends, at least one of which was supposed to be Denver’s primary focus coming into this draft.
“It’s a typical draft — there’s a run at different positions, which we figured there would be,” Paton said. “It fell like we thought it would. I think I mentioned we had six players and they all started going. Tyler was one of those six, but it fell kind of like we thought it would.”
The trade back was all about the Los Angeles Rams loving tight end Max Klare of Ohio State, according to an anonymous source referenced by Gabriel. Payton knows defensive tackle isn’t a sexy position when it comes to the draft, and he mentioned traits the Broncos typically love when it comes to that group after the move was made.
“He plays a position that’s always hard to find at defensive tackle,” Payton said Friday night. “His strike, his shed, the athlete, makeup, those are traits.”
The Broncos now have seven picks heading into Day 3, so they may go for a tight end or an inside linebacker somewhere in that mix. For the moment, though, the Broncos clearly believe in the strength of their roster, and that’s how they’re approaching this draft.