Getty

TCU wide receiver and Denver Broncos undrafted free agent signee Joseph Manjack.

For the 1st time since 2016, the Denver Broncos chose not to select a wide receiver in the NFL draft.

That doesn’t mean a rookie wide receiver still might not be able to make some waves.

The Locked on Broncos Podcast singled out the player most likely to do so recently, calling 6-foot-3, 210-pound undrafted free agent wide receiver Joseph Manjack the team’s “Diamond in the Rough” headed into the heart of the offseason.

Manjack’s $80,000 in guaranteed money was the most the Broncos paid to any undrafted skill player this year.

Manjack had career highs of 44 receptions for 579 yards and 2 touchdowns in his final college season at TCU in 2025. He became known over his college career for 1 interesting quirk — he doesn’t wear football gloves or any additional equipment.

From Locked on Broncos: “You start digging into this guy’s tape from his college days, and you start to see the number one trait that stands out about Joseph Manjack is the ability to make difficult catches, contested catches, and make it look relatively easy. And this guy just looks like a football player and an old-school throwback in so many different ways … he caught everything. When you watch this guy, the ball comes his direction, and he makes every single play. It’s really fun to see.”

Joseph Manjack Played for 3 Different Colleges

Like so many elite college football players in the NIL era, Manjack’s career spanned several different colleges.

Manjack, a Tomball, Texas, native, started his college career at USC before spending 3 seasons at Houston and playing his final season at TCU. He finished his college career with 134 receptions for 1,732 yards and 13 touchdowns in 50 games. He was also used in trick-play scenarios, going 4-of-6 passing for 74 yards and 1 touchdown.

At TCU’s Pro Day, Manjack impressed scouts by running the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds.

“I think I surprise people,” Manjack told ABC Houston’s Joe Gleason in April. “I’m a little bit better athlete than what people may think on the field, because you know I don’t look that fast with pads on. I’m a little bit better at it than people think, and I think the pro day was a good testament to that.”

Broncos Made Biggest Move of Offseason at WR

The big reason the Broncos didn’t draft a wide receiver in 2026 was that they traded their 1st round pick — No. 30 overall — for Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

In retrospect, the Broncos may have won the 1st round of the NFL draft without even making a pick.

After the 1st round shook out, the Broncos looked like geniuses. Their 1st-round pick, originally sent to the Dolphins, ended up with the New York Jets, who selected Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. 

Which ends up making the Broncos look like the big winners.

“Broncos get Jaylen Waddle with their first-round pick,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account after the 1st round on Thursday night. “With the Broncos original first-round pick, WR Omar Cooper Jr goes. The Broncos get an experienced WR instead of a rookie. An all-in move … with their first-round pick, the Broncos got a proven NFL receiver that averages over 1,000 yards per season and is only 27 years old.”