The Denver Broncos won't be drafting until the second day with pick No. 62, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The Denver Broncos will be sitting out the first round of Thursday’s NFL draft this week, and at first glance that’s depressing. Every team and its fan base wants the excitement of a top pick, even if the Broncos would have had to wait until the wee hours of the draft to make theirs after going 14-3 and coming within a field goal of making the Super Bowl.
But there’s a lot more to the story of this year’s Denver draft, as columnist Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests. Start with the recent trade for receiver Jaylen Waddle, whom Renck notes will make more of an impact and a contribution than any two rookies could have.
That’s only the beginning, though. There’s also the Broncos' recent track record with the No. 62 pick recently, which puts them in the 45-75 range when it comes to evaluating college prospects who are viable possibilities. That’s the sweet spot, as GM George Paton suggested this past week when he discussed how he has “nailed the second round,” according to Renck.
“Our process works,” Paton said.
That process involves identifying what Paton called “high trait” players, which sounds like the kind of pablum that most teams put out in their pre-draft quotes. But the Broncos can point to a few players who embody how this works, so let’s go there with some specific names and numbers.
Nik Bonitto, linebacker (No. 64)
The Broncos got the pick that became Nik Bonitto in the Von Miller trade, which is interesting because Miller has been lobbying for all he’s still worth lately to come back to Denver. Bonitto was selected with pick No. 64 in 2022, and the Oklahoma product was actually Denver’s first pick that year because they’d traded away their first pick that year. Sound familiar?
Marvin Mims Jr., receiver and return man (63)
The knock on Mims coming out that he was too small, but that hasn’t stopped him from succeeding. Mims also came out of Oklahoma if you’re looking for a trend here, and he’s become one of the most explosive return men in the NFL, plus he’s had success as a receiver as well. If the Broncos do half as well with this year’s pick as they have with Bonitto and Mims, they’ll be popping champagne over the results at some point in the near future.
RJ Harvey, running back (60)
Harvey is a more controversial pick because he’s undersized, and the Broncos’ running game failed badly after they lost running back J.K. Dobbins to a foot injury. But Harvey has provided some playmaking ability when he’s been spotted properly, and he could still step up and become more productive in 2026.