One day after taking a too-good-to-pass-up defensive player, the Broncos set about doing what they were widely expected to in this year’s NFL Draft: Outfitting quarterback Bo Nix with new offensive playmakers.
What wasn’t expected, perhaps: The exact manner in which Denver went about adding a running back and a receiver to their roster.
The Broncos considered trying to trade back from No. 20 to take a running back during Thursday night’s first round, general manager George Paton said that night. Sources told The Denver Post that player was Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson.
When Denver instead took Texas cornerback Jahdae Baron — a player with a true first-round grade the Broncos didn’t expect to be available when they picked — Paton and head coach Sean Payton knew Henderson and several other offensive skill players were likely to go early on Day 2.
Indeed, the first 14 picks of the second round included Henderson and Ohio State teammate Quinshon Judkins, receivers Jayden Higgins (Iowa State) and Luther Burden (Missouri) and tight ends Mason Taylor (LSU) and Littleton native Terrance Ferguson (Oregon).
Denver bet on the depth of the draft at those rather than pushing up the board for any of those players, then showed a willingness to get aggressive by trading three Day 3 picks to move up and draft LSU defensive lineman Sai’Vion Jones at No. 101 at the very end of Friday night.
Payton on Thursday night called the middle rounds of the draft the “honey hole,” and the Broncos stayed true to that course on Friday. Instead of trading what would have been substantial capital to move up into the early stages of the second round, Denver traded down twice and used two acquired picks, Nos. 60 and 74 overall, on Central Florida running back R.J. Harvey and Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant, respectively.
Harvey and Bryant each got picked earlier than the general consensus around the league expected, but Payton always preaches the importance of having a defined vision in mind for a player, and it is easy to see how these two fit his eye.
Harvey, a former high school quarterback, put up eye-popping numbers at Central Florida. Over his final two seasons there, he rushed for 2,993 yards (6.5 per carry) and 38 touchdowns while adding 505 receiving yards and four more scores. There is some projection in his future as a pass-catcher — he showed the ability to get loose out of the backfield, including a 75-yard wheel route touchdown against Colorado in September — and as a pass-blocker, but he has the tools to be the three-down back Payton covets.
“I feel I can do it all,” Harvey told reporters after getting picked. “I can catch the ball out of the backfield, I can run it. I’m just going to showcase all my skills for Broncos nation.”
The Broncos agree.
“His running style is dynamic. He has really good vision, really good instincts, really good contact balance. Highly explosive,” Paton said. “We thought he had maybe the best vision in the draft. Think he led the country in plus-10 (yard rushes).”
Bryant, meanwhile, was more commonly pegged as a Day 3 pick than going in the top 75 overall. He’s not a blazer, having clocked a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the combine. But at 6-foot-2 and 200-plus pounds, he’s the kind of big, physical target Payton tends to like. Not only that, but he’s a quality blocker on the perimeter, runs good routes, and can do damage after the catch.
“My motto was always, ‘You block, you get the rock,’” Bryant said. “So my main focus was just using my physicality both in the pass game as well as the run game, just helping my running backs get to the end zone.”
He cleaned up early-career drop issues and, according to Pro Football Focus, had just one drop on 78 targets in 2024. The production followed, increasing each of his four seasons at Illinois and culminated with a senior year in which he caught 54 balls for 985 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“We try to find comps and there were so many things about his game that reminded me of (former Saints standout) Mike Thomas,” Payton said. “With respect to Mike, who became, I mean, holy cow, you never want to put pressure on a rookie like that. We’re just talking about traits. But very explosive off the line of scrimmage, very competitive. Very tough.”
At No. 60, Harvey becomes the earliest-drafted running back by the Broncos since Javonte Williams went No. 35 in 2021. Bryant is the second Day 2 receiver drafted in the Payton era here, joining Marvin Mims Jr. in 2023.
Both join position groups that will have plenty of snaps open for the taking. Harvey steps into a running back room currently headlined by Audric Estime and also featuring Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson.
Bryant steps into a receiver room that Payton really likes but doesn’t feature heavy numbers. The group is led by Courtland Sutton and also features Mims and second-year receivers Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele.
Denver wasn’t willing to let the league go home Friday night and decide Jones was a Saturday target. They traded three picks — Nos. 111 and 130 in the fourth round and No. 191 in the sixth — for Nos. 101 and 134 and nabbed the 21-year-old from LSU.
The Day 2 haul for the Broncos isn’t likely to draw rave reviews from what Payton refers to as the “NFL train” or the ecosystem of commentary on the league.
Payton won’t care about that, though. The Broncos are betting this is the fruitful part of the draft this spring and they spent Friday moving all over the board to land a trio they think fit what they want to do.
“Find the sweet spot and then maximize trying to be in that field,” Payton said. … “We just kept looking at our targeted players and there’s a vision and a makeup and a mindset. That permeates these first two days.”
Texas A&M running back Rueben Owens (2) is stopped by LSU defensive end Sai’vion Jones (35) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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Originally Published: April 25, 2025 at 9:36 PM MDT
