With their second of three 7th round selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Broncos double-dipped at tight end and selected Utah’s Dallen Bentley. Earlier on Day 3, they drafted NC State’s Justin Joly, and now Bentley will join him as the new additions to the Broncos tight end room.
Bentley is a 6-4, 253-pound tight end with 4.62 speed, 33-inch arms, and a 35-inch vertical jump. He played a total of three seasons at Utah and is coming off a breakout season for them. This past year, Bentley had 48 receptions for 620 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Broncos TE Dallen Bentley pic.twitter.com/YspfobVob1
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler thought Bentley would go earlier in the draft and had a 4th-5th round grade on him while ranking him as his 13th-best tight end in the draft. Brugler called Bentley a “zone monster” due to his ability to find the soft spots in zone coverage, while saying he improved as a run blocker this past season, but he needs more development in that area.
A zone monster, Bentley has a great feel for urgently sitting down, securing the catch and then finding hidden yards as a tough-to-finish runner. He is highly efficient in his snatch-and-go body mechanics, although that focus doesn’t carry over to crowded catch points (low success rate in contested windows). He did a better job playing to his size as a run blocker in 2025, but his uneven technique leads to sustain issues and execution lapses. Bentley needs to become a more disciplined blocker to be trusted on a pro field, but his size-speed traits and pass-catching talent are potential assets for an NFL team.
Tight end was a position we all wanted the Broncos to address during the draft, and while it may not have gone as we expected, they came away with two tight ends, including Dallen Bentley. The Broncos drafted him to be an inline guy and help out as a blocker, but according to Head Coach Sean Payton, they like his receiving ability down the field as well. After Day 3, Payton said: “With Bentley, there’s a more in-line wide, bigger. He does a great job down the field”.
Bentley is more like Adam Trautman, while Joly will be more like Evan Engram. The Broncos needed more life, and frankly, new bodies in that tight end room, and Bentley provides an inline/blocking presence while also having some sneaky ability as a pass catcher.
Behind Adamn Trautman and Evan Engram, you have Nate Adkins, Lucas Krull, Caleb Lohner, and now rookies Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley. There will be some competition there, and Joly obviously has a better shot at making the 53 than Bentley, but I believe we will see both rookies make the 53-man roster this summer.