The process of developing young players in the NFL is not always an overnight success, but it's fair to wonder if the Denver Broncos really maximized their capital in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Through the first seven weeks of the season, the involvement of the top picks in this year's rookie class has been relatively minimal, which isn't abnormal for a Sean Payton-coached team. The Broncos could be getting a lot more help from their rookie than they're currently getting, and it's time for the coaches to let one player spread his wings in particular.
That player is 1st-round pick Jahdae Barron, whose involvement to this point has been less than some of the rookies drafted behind him.
Broncos rookie Jahdae Barron needs to play more vs. Cowboys in Week 8
So far this season, Barron has only played 24.5 percent of the defense's snaps for Vance Joseph. The reason he's not playing a full-time role up to this point is the presence of Ja'Quan McMillian, who has been the team's starting slot corner since the middle of the 2023 season.
McMillian is outstanding when asked to attack the line of scrimmage, and has obviously been no slouch in coverage for the majority of his time with the Broncos. However, the one playmaker the Giants had consistently beating Denver's defense on Sunday when the Giants came to town was Wan'Dale Robinson, who had his way against McMillian in coverage.
With the trade deadline just a couple of weeks away, now might not be the time to "bench" McMillian, but the looming deadline might be the Broncos' before and after point regarding Barron's next step.
At some point, your first-round pick has to make an impact.
It's not uncommon for young quarterbacks to sit and learn, but pretty much every other position drafted in the first round is going to be expected to make an instant impact. And justifiably so.
The Broncos drafted Barron knowing that he was going to need some time to break into the lineup, but also adjusting seemingly their entire draft strategy to take him. When the team picked Barron, it was the type of value that the team simply couldn't pass on.
There's no reason to write off the Barron pick as a bad one, by any means, but the Broncos do need to maximize their investment. They not only have Barron playing a reserve role right now, but Kris Abrams-Draine is another talented player not getting much time on the field.
It might be time for the team to consider giving more opportunities to their top pick so he can make the type of impact 1st-rounders are expected to make.