The Denver Broncos, even being down at No. 20 in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, could still make some huge waves in the selection process.
Kyle Crabbs of The 33rd Team recently predicted that the Broncos would land Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with that pick and now, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has done the same thing. It shows a clear shift in the draft rankings from as little as one month ago where McMillan was an easy top 10 pick and in some cases, he was in the top five.
If one of the top two running backs — Ashton Jeanty or Omarion Hampton– is on the board, Denver might try to jump-start the run game. The team’s 4.1 yards per carry ranked in the bottom half of the league last season, and Javonte Williams (who signed with Dallas) hasn’t yet been replaced. But the board fell the way it did in this scenario, and I don’t have another RB going on Day 1.
Instead, the Broncos can focus on another hole in the offense around quarterback Bo Nix at wide receiver.
McMillan would give Nix a sure-handed jump-ball artist who uses his great body control and physicality to make tough catches. He broke 1,300 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons. Pairing him with Courtland Sutton and new tight end Evan Engram would give opponents some game-planning nightmares”, wrote Kiper.
McMillan is the best wide receiver in this draft class. Other analysts can talk about guys like Matthew Golden and Luther Burden, but McMillan is a physical freak who can be much more dominant than either of those two players. It seems unfathomable that he could drop to the Broncos (the same case you can make for Jeanty) but if he does, the Broncos would be foolish to pass on him.
In Kiper’s draft, much like many of the mocks that you are seeing at the moment, Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are both off the board. That could leave the Broncos focused on a running back, as Kiper mentions, but there might not be a better overall talent in this class than McMillan.
He fits the mold of the kind of receiver Sean Payton likes to utilize and he might bring a better combination of athleticism and play-making ability than he has ever had before. This would be an A+ selection for the Broncos and with more than one analyst believing it could happen, the Broncos likely see the same thing.
MORE BRONCOS CONTENT
Broncos new punter brought aboard for one specific reason
4 Broncos players who have been put on notice following free-agent moves
Broncos 2025 NFL Draft prediction would bring Christmas in April
Broncos predicted to use NFL Draft to fix running back position with explosive prospect
Broncos predicted to use NFL Draft to fix running back position with explosive prospect
Read the full article here