Going into the 2026 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos have more than $18 million in remaining salary cap space, according to projections from OverTheCap.com and Spotrac.com.

OTC estimates the Broncos have $18,782,088 remaining and Spotrac lists $19,668,720. Some of that cap space will go toward the team's rookie draft class. However, only the "Top 51" contracts count against a team's salary cap during the offseason, so the rookie pool won't eat up as much cap space as fans might think.

Spotrac estimates Denver's draft class will have a $7,492,153 cap hit, but it's not as simple as subtracting that from the team's $18 million available. With only the Top 51 contracts counting against the cap, the Broncos' net cap hit for the draft pool will be much lower than $7.4 million.

For example, the 62nd overall pick is scheduled to have a cap hit of $1.416 million in 2026. That would knock the team's 51st-most expensive player (wide receiver Michael Bandy) out of the top 51. With Bandy's $1,085,000 no longer in the Top 51, the net cap charge against the team's cap would be just $331,000.

The club's pair of fourth-round picks would have cap hits just over $1 million, but the four other scheduled selections wouldn't even count among the current Top 51 cap hits on the offseason roster. So instead of losing $7.4 million in cap space to the draft pool, the Broncos' net Top 51 cap cost will be closer to $400,000.

The Broncos will also sign undrafted free agents (with minimal cap impact), and they will want to leave cap space for in-season signings and players going on injured reserve this fall. Any unused cap from this season will be rolled over to increase the team's 2027 cap total.

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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Salary cap space and draft pool impact