The Denver Broncos have one priority with a number of different avenues in the 2025: Get more playmakers for quarterback Bo Nix. It's become abundantly clear that the Broncos have themselves a young franchise quarterback, and they have their offensive line solidified around him for the foreseeable future.
That means in the 2025 offseason, they can do some of the "fun" shopping. It's time for the Broncos to get serious about adding weapons offensively as we have seen the running back, wide receiver, and tight end positions completely retooled under head coach Sean Payton.
How can the Broncos attack these particular positions in the 2025 NFL Draft? We know they are going to be heavily active in NFL Free Agency as well, but the 2025 NFL Draft is where we will likely see even more cornerstone pieces added to the mix. Let's look at a fun potential scenario for the Broncos in this 2025 Broncos mock draft to kick off the new year.
Broncos land Boise State star RB Ashton Jeanty in 2025 mock draft
1. 20th overall: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
There are going to be a handful of people who push back on this idea for a number of reasons. For some, the idea of taking a running back in the 1st round of the NFL Draft is preposterous. For others, the idea that Ashton Jeanty will be available to the Broncos is even more ridiculous. I would caution to say not so fast when it comes to either of those things.
Sean Payton and George Paton have historically valued the running back position extremely highly and they attempted to get Josh Jacobs in free agency this past offseason. Jeanty will be intriguing to the Broncos but also comes with a slight red flag: There has only been one other back in history with as many collegiate carries as Jeanty selected in the first round (Darren McFadden, 2008).
Will Jeanty's wear and tear at the college level drop him down the board? Or is his floor the Denver Broncos, no matter where they pick?
2. 51st overall: Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
Everyone in Broncos Country loves Penn State tight end Tyler Warren right now, and for obvious reasons. Warren would be an ideal pickup for the Broncos but he also might be the best overall tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft, and his value is going to be enhanced thanks to the Raiders' usage of Brock Bowers in 2024.
If Warren is not available to Denver, which is a very realistic possibility at this point, then they will have to tap into the depth of this tight end class, of which there is plenty.
Harold Fannin Jr. is fresh off of arguably the greatest season for a tight end in FBS history with 117 receptions for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has the "joker" traits Sean Payton covets at the tight end position and while ideally he would be a strong in-line blocker as well, the Broncos already have Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins under contract for that.
They need a difference-maker in the passing game, and Fannin is exactly that.
3. 85th overall: Savion Williams, WR, TCU
Go ahead and give this guy a Google. Savion Williams is listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, and guys his size don't usually make the types of plays or get involved in the offense quite like he does.
Obviously Williams has a tremendous catch radius and overall size, but he utilizes his abilities after the catch and savvy as a ball carrier to drive defenses nuts. He has 111 touches for TCU's offense this year with 12 total touchdowns.
Defenses obviously key in on him and TCU doesn't have the most explosive passing attack, but Williams has the look of another "joker" type player and after the catch menace who could really help the Denver Broncos.
4. 121st overall: Lander Barton, LB, Utah
We interrupt this offensive playmaker onslaught to bring you a playmaker for the defense, and we know the Denver Broncos favor PAC 12 guys in recent years on that side of the ball. We also know they've done a lot of scouting at Utah having brought in Jonah Elliss in the 2024 NFL Draft, so the scouting department is going to be very familiar with Lander Barton.
So is one of the Broncos' leading tacklers -- Cody Barton. Denver would have to bring Barton back in free agency to make it happen, but we could see a reunion for the Barton brothers in the Mile High City in 2025. Lander Barton is a long, rangy player at the position at 6-foot-4 with big-time coverage skills and range.
5. 187th overall: Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas
The Denver Broncos have taken quite the liking to Texas safeties in recent years, so why not just stay on brand for 2025?
We've seen the Broncos bring in Caden Sterns, PJ Locke, and Brandon Jones, and now here we have Andrew Mukuba. Mukuba is a versatile player in the secondary for Texas who could provide immediate value to the Broncos on special teams as well as much-needed depth at safety.
He has four interceptions this season (the most of his college career) and has 23 passes defensed over the course of his whole college career.
6. 196th overall: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon
There may end up being a number of NFL teams who view Dillon Gabriel as a starting quarterback, and a strong showing at the Senior Bowl could boost his stock well beyond late Day 3.
With that being said, there may not be a more ideal option to be Bo Nix's backup than this guy, who has played about a thousand games at the collegiate level and has been productive the entire time. Gabriel might lack ideal size, but that has never really mattered for Sean Payton who has had the likes of Drew Brees, Chase Daniel, and others on his roster.
With both Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson set to hit free agency, the possibility of the Broncos drafting a QB is probably decently high.
7. 203rd overall: Benjamin Yurosek, TE, Georgia
It will be fascinating to see how the presence of David Shaw in the Denver Broncos' front office pays dividends as years go by. Shaw has a great eye for talent and I think we can expect a Stanford connection at some point or another in 2025.
Benjamin Yurosek didn't exactly transfer in to Georgia and immediately replace Brock Bowers, but he has some skill as a pass-catching option and maybe some untapped potential to make him a steal in this deep class at tight end.
Yurosek had his best year at the collegiate level back at Stanford in 2021 and definitely has the makeup of an NFL tight end. I like the Broncos doubling up in this class.