The Denver Broncos made the playoffs in Bo Nix’s first year in the NFL after an impressive rookie season that saw the team finish 10-7 after an 0-2 start on the year. Their season came to an end in their first playoff game, though, after getting shellacked by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round.
Now, head coach Sean Payton and Co. are looking to build on that positive rookie season for Nix, and an NFL draft expert has them beefing up their weapons by taking the top running back off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Broncos Land Superstar RB in 2025 Mock Draft
The biggest name at the running back position in this draft is, by far, Boise State star Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty was a Heisman Trophy finalist after the 2024 season, narrowly losing to Colorado’s Travis Hunter.
Jeanty is coming off of a historic year, rushing for the second-most yards in FBS history (2,601) and 29 rushing touchdowns while also catching 23 passes for 138 yards and a score through the air. Throughout his collegiate career, he totaled 4,769 rushing yards, 862 receiving yards, and 56 total touchdowns.
While it would be somewhat of a surprise to see Jeanty drop this far, Bucky Brooks of NFL.com has the Broncos selecting Jeanty at Pick no. 20 in his latest mock draft.
“In this scenario, I can’t imagine Sean Payton bypassing an RB1 with three-down ability and the potential to score from anywhere on the field,” Brooks wrote. “Jeanty is special, and his presence could ignite an offense primed to challenge Kansas City’s longstanding AFC West supremacy as soon as next season.”
Most mocks have Jeanty going higher than this, including the latest mock draft from PFSN, which has Jeanty going to the Dallas Cowboys at pick No. 12. With Jeanty off the board, PFSN has the Broncos taking Missouri WR Luther Burden III in the first round.
As a prospect, Jeanty checks a lot of boxes, per PFSN’s scouting report.
“Jeanty is a premier prospect with some of the best contact balance of any player in recent drafts. The elite Boise State Broncos running back had 157 forced missed tackles in 2024 when he rushed for 2,601 yards, the second most in FBS history, totaling more rushing yards than 100+ teams. Overall, Jeanty is a rare playmaker at the position who does all the little things well while also offering game-breaking home-run ability.”
If Jeanty does last to No. 20, it would seem like a home run selection for the Broncos, as Payton has long valued the running back position as a big part of his offense going back to his days as the New Orleans Saints’ head coach.
The Broncos do have some RB talent on the roster in Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime, but their leading rusher, Javonte Williams, is a free agent this offseason. Williams was a good prospect coming out of UNC, but a serious knee injury derailed his career and he has struggled in the two years since suffering the injury.
Payton hasn’t had a game-breaking running back since taking over the Broncos, and it’s possible he’ll try to find one in the 2025 NFL Draft after thriving with Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, or Reggie Bush among others in New Orleans.
The Broncos play in a tough division featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, so they will need to load up on weapons if they want to keep up with their division mates, and drafting Jeanty in April would be a good place to start.