Denver’s newest addition to the defensive line knows he’s coming in to learn. After all, D-Line was one of the Broncos’ biggest strengths last season.
And that’s exactly what former Texas A&M tackle is looking forward to – learning from the best.
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“It’s going to be a blessing, being able to learn from the best,” said Tyler Onyedim, the Broncos’ third-round pick and their first selection in the 2026 draft. “I’m excited; I’m happy; I’m excited. I’m just ready to go. I’m ready to go.”
Onyedim is stepping into a defensive line room that will be missing Jonathan Franklin Myers but has plenty of depth to fill the space, and it will be Onyedim’s role to join that depth.
And Onyedim seems more than comfortable with that.
“The mindset is just to learn, don’t be an arrogant person,” he said. “Just learn from the best… cramming everything so I can be the best player I know I can be.”
It won’t hurt that he’ll be rejoining former Iowa State teammate Eyioma Uwazurike.
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“That’s big brother… that’s my dog,” Onyedim said. “He’s going to be in my wedding; I’m going to be in his wedding.”
Head coach Sean Payton noted that building the trenches can be tough and finding a guy that can add to the team even down the road is highly valuable.
“When the season ends and you begin to look at free agency, there are certain positions that are just harder to find,” he said. “When you look at our roster, it could have been offensive line at the right position. It could have been a few other positions. It’s harder to find those defensive linemen and offensive linemen. When the window of free agency begins, they’re valued. They’re hard.”
George Paton pointed out that they loved the tape on Onyedim from A&M because he played in a scheme that used him the same way the Broncos plan to use him.
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“It was a 3-3-5 scheme [at Iowa State]. He was two-gapping, playing blocks. He wasn’t penetrating; he wasn’t rushing as much,” Paton said. “He got to see and do more at A&M which he’ll be doing here. The tape was good at Iowa State, but we really liked it at A&M.”
Because of that opportunity to play at two schools and in two schemes, Onyedim sees himself as being able to take on a variety of roles along the line.
“I feel like I’m a versatile player,” he said. “I feel like my get off is a really good get off. I have a really good first step. I feel like I’m a true defensive lineman. When you hear defensive lineman, you probably think about defensive tackles and defensive ends. No, I’m a true defensive lineman. So that’s me.”
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When Denver traded back from No. 62 to No. 66, Onyedim was praying he was their pick.
“I prayed. I prayed to God. We talked about this. …I know the coach really wanted me. I saw Denver on the clock. I saw they traded. I just had a feeling they were picking me,” he said. ““I feel like it’s the perfect place for me.”
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