RJ Harvey's unconventional football journey results in 2nd-round NFL draft pick by Broncos

ORLANDO — RJ Harvey settled back into his spot on the sofa, at peace and with a full plate of food in hand, near the midway portion of the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He and his father, Robert, discussed which upcoming teams on the board could use a running back.

Robert’s first thought: “Houston.” Instead, the Texans packaged the 58th and 99th selections and sent them to the Las Vegas Raiders in order to take Minnesota tackle Aireontae Ersery.

Six picks remained in the round when Robert glanced at the television and noticed the Denver Broncos on deck. Within moments, the phone rang.

Harvey — UCF’s all-time touchdown leader — answered with a smile, fulfilling an improbable lifelong dream.

The Broncos chose the 5-foot-8, 205-pound Harvey with the 60th overall pick Friday, the highest-ever for a UCF running back. Kevin Smith held the previous mark, taken No. 64 in 2008 by the Detroit Lions.

“For whatever reason, I just felt it, right before my phone started ringing that they were going to come get me. It’s crazy,” said Harvey, who finished fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision this past fall with 1,577 rushing yards. “I wasn’t nervous or anything. I didn’t cry. … My mom and sister, they got emotional.”

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Jan 28, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team running back RJ Harvey of UCF (22) runs after a catch during Senior Bowl practice for the American team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Juliet, Harvey’s mother, indeed felt her heart racing as the conversation ensued. RJ left the room, slipping out the back door toward the pool deck, as gathered family and friends speculated which team was on the other end of the call. One of Harvey’s cousins found the news on social media — and ESPN ran his name across its draft tracker, sending the room into raucous applause and “RJ Harvey” chants.

“In shock. I wasn’t expecting it to be in the second round … because of what I was seeing on social media. My husband kept telling me, ‘Stop reading all of that,'” Juliet Harvey said. “He’s my only son. This is huge for him, and what he’s really been working for. As a mother, it’s like, ‘Alright. Let him fly as an eagle.'”

It was a night of vindication and validation for Harvey, whose unconventional path to stardom began with a position change he initially resisted. The former Edgewater standout wanted to play quarterback, and was given the opportunity to do so on scholarship at Virginia.

A year later, he returned home and accepted a spot as a preferred walk-on running back at UCF while Josh Heupel served as head coach. He underwent a crash course in the fundamentals of his new position — how to receive handoffs, for starters.

Robert related firsthand walk-on experience with his son. He worked his way up the ladder at Bethune-Cookman, playing defensive back for the Wildcats from 1987-90 under Hall of Fame offensive lineman Larry Little.

“I used to be on the field crying because I didn’t want to quit and I didn’t want to get cut,” he said. “That drive I had in me, I instilled in him. I pushed him and pushed him until he got it himself.”

Heupel departed for Tennessee in 2021, eventually replaced by Gus Malzahn. Harvey impressed the longtime Auburn coach, and he was set to compete for the starting job before tearing his ACL in fall camp and missing the entire season.

By the middle of the 2022 campaign, Harvey transformed into the focal point of UCF’s top-10 nationally ranked rushing attack. He broke free for a memorable go-ahead touchdown in the final minute to topple then-No. 19 Cincinnati that October and followed it up with his first 100-yard performance a week later at Memphis.

UCF Knights running back RJ Harvey (7) runs with the ball for a first down against Iowa State during the first quarter in the week-8 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.

Few teams could hold Harvey under triple digits over the last two seasons as the Knights transitioned into the Big 12. He considered entering the 2024 draft after gaining 1,416 yards with 16 touchdowns as a redshirt senior, but chose to bet on improving his stock and fine-tuning his game.

“You’ve got to have confidence and a chip on your shoulder,” Harvey said. “I’ve been doubted my whole life. If there’s any doubt in anybody’s minds, then I’m just going to prove everybody wrong.”

Harvey earned all-conference first-team honors for the first time in 2024 despite the Knights’ 4-8 record, broke the school’s TD record in his Bounce House swan song and impressed scouts and front office personnel with his performances at the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine — where he posted a 4.4-second time in the 40-yard dash.

Now, he enters a wide-open competition for lead-dog honors in the Broncos’ backfield.

Javonte Williams, who had a team-high 513 rushing yards, signed a one-year, $3 million contract last month with the Dallas Cowboys. That leaves Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estimé, Tyler Badie and Harvey to battle for carries and targets from second-year quarterback Bo Nix.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football: RJ Harvey defied odds on way to NFL draft, Denver Broncos

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RJ Harvey’s unconventional football journey results in 2nd-round NFL draft pick by Broncos

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