Nebraska WR Dane Key signs UDFA deal with Denver Broncos after 2026 NFL Draft

Nebraska wide receiver Dane Key has signed an UDFA deal with the Denver Broncos following the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported the news. His brother, Devon, was named a First Team All-Pro with the Broncos last season.

Key initially began his college career at Kentucky, where he turned into a star before eventually seeking an opportunity elsewhere. The production was pretty immediate, too.

As a freshman in 2022, Dane Key logged 37 catches for 519 yards and six touchdowns. He was a big-play threat for the Wildcats and would basically repeat those figures in 2023 — tallying 42 catches for 636 yards and six touchdowns.

While his overall production in terms of catches and yardage went up in 2024, his touchdown total dropped. He finished with 47 catches for 715 yards and two scores.

What’s interesting is that Dane Key actually had his least productive year statistically after transferring to Nebraska. He finished with 39 catches for 452 yards and five scores.

Still, he has put together quite the career track record at the college level. Key has totaled 165 catches for 2,322 yards and 19 scores.

Prior to enrolling at Kentucky, Dane Key was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 266 overall recruit in the nation, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He also checked in as the No. 45 receiver in the 2022 class and the top overall player from the state of Kentucky, hailing from Lexington (KY) Frederick Douglass.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Dane Key

Key is regarded as one of the better route-runners in the class, able to get separation thanks to his crisp breaks. He also catches the ball quite well.

If there are some things to question, it’s his overall strength relative to his size. He sometimes struggles getting off physical man coverage.

In any case, there’s a lot to like. So what do the experts say? Well, the NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein evaluated Dane Key ahead of the draft:

“Possession receiver with limited range and explosiveness to threaten NFL corners. Key is a detail-oriented route-runner with natural ball skills and soft hands.

“However, he struggles to beat press, lacks the vertical speed to push cornerbacks onto their heels and is unable to prevent a high rate of contested looks. Key’s best shot will be as a big slot receiver working as a zone-beater, but a lack of special-teams value shrinks his roster chances.”