Broncos show their cards with combine interviews
By: Colby Wyatt
Everyone knows that the Broncos are looking for some offensive weapons, so it’s no surprise that the Broncos met with running backs and tight ends at the NFL combine. What is a surprise is how many they met with. Denver met with 45 players; with one-third of those meetings being for the two positions.
Head Coach Sean Payton said publicly that he’s searching for a “joker” at these two positions. Someone athletic enough to help out in more ways than one, the same way Marvin Mims was used at wide receiver and running back this season.
Running backs
This is the deepest running-back draft class in years. There are seven backs with over 1,500 rushing yards and over 20 with at least 1,000 in this draft class. With so many options, it makes sense that the Broncos are willing to spend extra time to find the right one.
There are 10 confirmed meetings with running backs; the players we know the Broncos interviewed are Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State, Omarion Hampton out of UNC, Cam Skatteboo from Arizona State University, SMU’s Brashard Smith, Oregon’s Jordan James, Ollie Gordon out of Oklahoma State, Kansas’ Devin Neal, and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson.
It’s also speculated they met with Ohio State duo Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson or Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson. Just the eight confirmed players give GM George Paton and Payton the flexibility to fill this hole in almost any round of the draft they want.
While Jeanty likely won’t stay around for the Broncos pick, Hampton, Johnson, and Henderson could be targets for the first or early second round, while everyone else will go anytime from the end of the second to the fifth.
SMU’s Smith is a name to look out for if Denver doesn’t get a ball carrier early. He likely won’t go until the third round but is one of the best receiving backs with a high ceiling. A smaller frame and less experience running between the tackles holds his draft stock back, but he ran a 4.39 at the combine.
Great game speed and acceleration could make him a good option to complement second-year Audric Estime. His versatility is appealing to an offense that likes to get creative.
Tight ends
The Denver staff met with at least five tight ends at the combine: Penn State’s Mackey Award Winner Tyler Warren, Michigan’s Colston Loveland, Texas’ Gunnar Helm, Miami’s Elijah Arroyo, and Oregon’s Jake Ferguson.
Warren and Loveland are projected to go in the first round, and the Broncos are likely to take either one if they’re still there at the No. 20 pick. However, there’s a chance they won’t be, which is where the other three tight ends interviewed come into play. Same with the running backs, the Broncos could wait until the third round to get their guy, but choosing the right one is still important.
Oregon’s Ferguson is projected to be the last of the group drafted, even despite his great combine performance. No matter his projection Ferguson could end up being the guy that Payton has been looking. He played with Bo Nix at Oregon, and his speed off the line would match well with a more traditional blocking tight end. Although his routes can get a little loose at times, he can move, box out, and cause chaos in the red-zone.
Helm is a great blocker and more than athletic enough to be considered for Payton’s “Joker” role. He only had two drops in his collegiate career. He had a rough combine performance but later revealed he sprained his ankle in the 40-yard dash and his film speaks for itself. Both Ferguson and Helm are Colorado natives, which always gets bonus points.
Arroyo improved his draft stock at the combine. He’s slow off the line but plays the position smart. He beats linebackers in man coverage and scans his routes for gaps in zone coverage. Additionally, he’s proven to be fantastic at looking for a scrambling quarterback and changing his route to help them out. Athletic is an understatement, and while he doesn’t have as much experience as other options, his versatility makes him a good option for the second round.
There’s a lack of confirmed interviews with wide receivers, which means that the team could largely be happy with who they have or look to free agency for a big addition to the receiving core. No matter what happens, though, it will be no shock if the Broncos draft Tez Johnson, the receiver out of Oregon. Johnson’s draft stock fell at the combine after he weighed in at only 154 pounds and then ran a disappointing 4.51 40-yard dash. He’s a target for the Broncos due to his close relationship with Bo Nix. They’ve played
together since high school, and even lived together at one point. Johnson could cost as little as a fourth-round pick, he’s shown time and time again he knows how to get open, and Payton himself has said he would be a great addition to the team.
Every year's draft night is nothing short of unpredictable and chaotic; some players fall, and some get taken rounds before they were projected to. Only Paton and his staff know who they want the most when they’re on the clock, and even they are at the whim of the 19 teams before them.
The Broncos will make their selection April 24. Stream the 2025 NFL Draft live on ABC or ESPN at 6 p.m. MT.