Broncos Briefs: 10 draft picks, but no offensive tackles for John Elway and Co.

Seven rounds came and went and the Broncos did not use one of their 10 draft picks on an offensive tackle.

“We just didn’t feel like we were in a situation to add,” general manager John Elway said Saturday. “The tackle never fell for us (on the board) as far as somebody we felt was a player who could help us.”

Elway said Garett Bolles and Elijah Wilkinson will have an “open competition” at left tackle and the Broncos are banking on right tackle Ja’Wuan James staying healthy.

“We have to get better there, there’s no question,” Elway said. “We have great expectations for (James) coming back and being the right tackle and playing like we believe he’s capable of playing.”

And at left tackle, Elway said: “The best player is going to play.”

Elway said the Broncos weren’t involved in trade talks for Washington left tackle Trent Williams, who was dealt to San Francisco on Saturday morning.

“We heard what the compensation was and we didn’t feel it was something we wanted to get involved in,” Elway said.

Self-proclaimed steal. After getting his starting center on Friday in LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry, Elway fortified the Broncos’ guard depth by selecting Fresno State’s Netane Muti with the 181st overall pick (sixth round).

Muti was team captain as a junior in 2019 but saw his season end after three games due to a Lisfranc foot injury. He’s played in just five games over the past two seasons, as a ruptured Achilles ended his 2018 season.

“My foot is doing great right now — everything is positive and moving in the right direction,” Muti said. “The doctors say the recovery is going good, and I feel great.”

Muti believes the Broncos “definitely” got a steal if he’s able to stay healthy at the professional level. He’s projected to head into camp and compete with Austin Schlottmann for a backup guard spot.

“I think I’m the best guard in this (draft) class,” Muti said. “I feel like my film shows what it shows — I’m a dominant guard, I can pass pro as well.”

Elway said the Broncos had a third-round grade on Muti.

Strnad feeling good. Like Muti, Wake Forest linebacker Justin Strnad’s 2019 ended early; he sustained a torn biceps tendon in his seventh game that required surgery.

“It was honestly a tough time,” he said after being selected 178th overall (fifth round) by the Broncos. “The people around me helped me get through that and obviously it brings us to (Saturday), which is still a great opportunity. It’s something that I’ve worked my whole life for.”

Strnad said he returned to 100% “right around the time of the combine.”

Strnad, 23, had 244 tackles in 46 college games. Coach Vic Fangio said the Broncos will begin by working Strnad at inside linebacker.

“I feel very comfortable in pass coverage,” he said. “I played safety in high school so it’s something I’ve been doing for a long time. … In college, we didn’t play too much man coverage so I think just continuing to work on my man-to-man skills and being able to match up on some tight ends and running backs will obviously be (important).”

Briefly. Jordan Glasgow, a younger brother of Broncos right guard Graham Glasgow, was drafted No. 213 overall by Indianapolis. Jordan had 140 tackles in 53 games as a linebacker for Michigan. … The Broncos’ virtual offseason program begins Monday. Safety Justin Simmons has yet to sign his franchise tender allowing him to participate. “If you look at his agent’s history, they usually don’t sign (the tag),” said Elway, referring to Todd France. “We’ll continue to negotiate and we’re hoping to get something done with Justin.”