The Denver Broncos wasted an entire season at the tight end position in 2025, dropping a 2-year, $23 million free-agent contract on Evan Engram and wasting a 7th-round draft pick on Caleb Lohner, who never even played in a regular-season game.
They can’t have that scenario repeat itself in 2026 after watching their season come to an end in the AFC Championship Game with a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots — a game in which not just tight ends but their entire receiving corps went missing.
The Athletic predicts the Broncos will make a big move for the future at the position in the 2026 NFL draft by using their 1st pick at No. 62 overall in the 2nd round on Ohio State tight end Max Klare.
The Broncos don’t have a 1st round pick in 2026 after trading it to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for superstar wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Klare, 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, has drawn comparisons in the past to 3-time Pro Bowl tight end and Super Bowl champion Zach Ertz.
“(Klare) is a fluid athlete who is in a crowded group of tight ends following (projected) first-round pick Kenyon Sadiq,” The Athletic’s Zach Berman wrote.
Transferred From Big Ten Doormat to Ohio State
In 2024, Klare was an All-Big Ten pick at Purdue with 51 receptions for 685 yards and 4 touchdowns in 12 games and transferred to Ohio State for his final season.
He repeated as All-Big Ten in 2025 with 43 receptions for 448 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2025 while playing around a gaggle of future NFL pass-catching talent, including possible 2027 No. 1 overall pick wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
“Max Klare is an explosive presence who uses route nuance and a great catch-to-attack mentality to create space for himself,” Bleacher Report’s Daniel Harms wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “The Ohio State offense hasn’t given him the platform to show what he can do, but the tape doesn’t lie.”
Engram Called NFL’s Worst Free-Agent Signing
Pro Football Focus put Engram’s contract on its list of the NFL’s “Worst Free Agent Signings” in last year’s cycle.
“Sean Payton clamored about wanting a ‘joker’ for his offense, which seemed to be Engram,” PFF’s Bradley Locker wrote. “However, Engram didn’t offer reliable contributions with a 57.6 PFF receiving grade and a 7.0% drop rate. Now, Denver will presumably go back to the well as it searches for a playmaking tight end.”
If the analytics-based critique doesn’t quite hit home, maybe this will: Engram had 50 receptions for just 461 yards and 1 touchdown during the regular season. He capped his year with 3 receptions for 26 yards and no touchdowns in 2 playoff games — a time when his team needed him the most and an elite performance could have almost justified his entire contract.
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti put Engram at the top of his list of possible offseason trade candidates for the Broncos.
“With $5M of 2026 salary fully guaranteed, the Broncos probably won’t outright release Engram this offseason, but it stands to reason they’ll try to offload this contract (1 year, $11.5M) in some capacity,” Ginnitti wrote. “The 31-year-old caught 50 passes, including 1 TD, in 2025.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Broncos Predicted to Use 1st Pick on 6-foot-5, 246-Pound Big Ten Star appeared first on Heavy Sports.