Justin Strnad
Denver BroncosModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
STM Take
Tier 8 (#63) rookie to tier 4 (#27) breakout in 2024 to tier 5 (#35) in 2025 for a 254th overall pick puts Strnad in the rarest outlier-positive class at the LB position. The Wake Forest ACC 7th-round origin plus the Vance Joseph defensive scheme appears to be the catalyst. The 2026 question is whether Strnad crosses into tier 4 territory or whether the structural tier 5 finish becomes the stable baseline.
Strnad came out of Wake Forest as the Denver Broncos' 7th-round pick (254th overall) in 2020. He spent four years as developmental depth before emerging into a starter role under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in 2024. His STTM career runs tier 8 (#63) rookie, tier 4 (#27) breakout in 2024, and tier 5 (#35) in 2025.
Strengths
- Tier 4 (#27) breakout in year five as a 254th overall pick puts him in the rarest outlier-positive class at the LB position.
- Wake Forest ACC pedigree plus five years of Broncos system experience plus the Vance Joseph scheme creates the structural environment.
Concerns
- 8-spot regression from tier 4 (#27) in 2024 to tier 5 (#35) in 2025 flags the 2024 finish as potentially context-driven.
- Denver's broader defensive identity around Vance Joseph's continued tenure puts continued Strnad ceiling partly scheme-dependent.
What to watch: Whether Strnad crosses into tier 4 (top 30) in 2026, the threshold for confirming the 2024 ceiling is structural.
Comps
Justin Strnad Injury StatusNot listed
Justin Strnad is not on the injury report as of Oct 7. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.
Justin Strnad Stats This Season · 3 games
Draft & College
He went about where consensus had him.
Covers the college seasons in our data, which does not always reach back to a player's first year.