Grading every Broncos 2025 draft pick (with 1 bold prediction for each)

The Denver Broncos put together a polarizing 2025 NFL Draft class, to say the very least. When just about everyone was expecting the team to take as many offensive weapons as possible for quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos used their top pick on Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron.

Then, when the team finally did start going after offensive weapons, they weren't the guys who kept popping up in everyone's 2025 NFL mock draft scenarios.

The Broncos zigged while everyone else zagged, leaning on their personal convictions on prospects. Sean Payton said going into the draft that you're looking to "fall in love" with guys in a class, and then he and George Paton proceeded to explain how much they love all the guys they drafted once they were selected.

While there are some in the national media who didn't have every Broncos player as highly graded as possible, there are others who were banging the table for these players the same way the Broncos are. What arbitrary grades can we throw on these picks without seeing these guys play a single snap? What's one bold prediction we can make for each player?

Broncos 2025 NFL Draft class: Grades and Predictions for Each Player

1. Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

The surprise pick at the top of the draft class for the Denver Broncos has turned out to be one of the most unanimously well-liked by both experts and fans. Barron was generally considered the best cornerback in this year's class behind Travis Hunter, and certainly one of the most versatile defensive weapons out there.

Barron plays outside, inside, safety, dime, and 'STAR". He can do it all. He can do it all not just because he's athletic but because he's a very smart, instinctive player. His aggressiveness in combination with his top-flight football IQ should lead him to a starting role for the Broncos this coming season and it wouldn't shock me at all to see Vance Joseph sending him on more blitzes than we saw from him at Texas.

This pick was a great combination of the Broncos taking the best player on the board as well as selecting at a premium position and getting a player who has almost no red flags or downside. Anything can happen with guys as they transition to a professional career, but Jahdae Barron seems like a smart player to bet on.

Adding this type of playmaker to an already elite defense was a very fun move by the Denver Broncos.

Arbitrary Grade: A+

Bold prediction for Jahdae Barron: He will cause 8 turnovers in his rookie season

2. RJ Harvey, RB, UCF

Desperately needing another piece at the running back position, the Denver Broncos moved down in the second round and selected UCF star RJ Harvey, one of the most explosive weapons in this year's draft.

Harvey set the UCF record with 48 rushing touchdowns and drew a number of pre-draft comparisons to guys like Bucky Irving and Darren Sproles. If the Broncos can get that kind of production out of him, this pick is going to be a home run.

Chris Simms is kind of known for having some seriously controversial NFL Draft takes, but there were a lot of folks who started to love Harvey the more they watched him in the pre-draft process.

Harvey ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash and showed outstanding explosiveness not just at the Scouting Combine but all throughout his career at UCF. George Paton said after the second round that the Broncos felt like Harvey had maybe the best vision in the draft. As SImms points out in his breakdown here, he has outstanding contact balance and elusiveness in the open field.

The Broncos needed an explosive playmaker at running back with vision after giving the majority of their touches to Javonte Williams the last couple of years.

The biggest downside to the Harvey pick is the fact that he's 24 years old and has a prior knee injury, but he's shown no ill effects from that injury. The fact that he's 24 isn't all that big of a deal knowing that the shelf life of running backs is shorter anyway, and you're really hoping to maximize this window you have regardless of how things pan out four years from now.

Arbitrary Grade: B+

Bold Prediction: Harvey racks up 1,800 yards from scrimmage as a rookie

3. Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois

So far, this is the most contested pick of the Denver Broncos' draft class. The Broncos needed playmakers on Day 2, and the team went out and got some, but not players who were high on the consensus big boards.

Pat Bryant, especially.

The Broncos prioritized Bryant, clearly, because when they traded down and took RJ Harvey, part of the deal in the trade down scenario was actually them moving up 11 spots in the third round. While many people feel like the Broncos reached for Bryant or drafted him a round too early, it's clear that the Broncos didn't think the perception of Bryant around the league was as low as the overalll consensus.

They could have tried to move down and still take him, but they didn't. Part of the reason why this pick was so controversial among Broncos Country is that Bryant is another bigger receiver at 6-foot-3, but he also didn't run a fast 40-yard dash (4.61). That's not a deal breaker if you can play fast, which Bryant does when you watch him on the field.

Bryant has outstanding hands and body control at the receiver position. He had one of the top 10 fastest gauntlet drills at the Scouting Combine this year, clocking over 19 MPH on the field and proving his play speed in a vacuum. Bryant not only has excellent hands, but after-the-catch abilities and playmaking in space.

He's a physical blocker and one of the top blocking receivers in the draft, something Sean Payton is sure to love about him.

As unpopular as this pick has been among Broncos Country, I find myself loving it more and more as I continue watching Bryant. Especially listening to Josh Norris and Hayden Winks break down his game a bit more, you start to see that this guy gets the nuances of the receiver position better than the average rookie, which will help him get on the field and get more playing time quickly.

Arbitrary Grade: B

Bold Prediction: Bryant finishes second on the Broncos in TD receptions in 2025

4. Sai'vion Jones, DL, LSU

The pick that seems to be getting forgotten about among this Denver Broncos draft class in 2025 is Sai'vion Jones out of LSU.

Jones is a big, long defensive line prospect at 6-foot-5, 280 pounds with over an 80-inch wingspan. Pound for pound, he's one of the most athletic players the Broncos drafted, and this was an underrated area of need for the Broncos going into the draft.

With John Franklin-Myers, Malcolm Roach, and All-Pro Zach Allen set to hit free agency in 2026, the Broncos are making sure they're prepared for any eventuality and loading up on the defensive front. George Paton said at his pre-draft presser that the Broncos had evaluated a Day 2 defensive lineman who they thought could contribute immediately, and after trading up to get Jones, you can't help but connect the dots.

Jones has great explosiveness off the snap and when he gets out of his stance, he has "bat out of hell" types of traits. He's out to cause chaos. His combination of length, physicality, aggressiveness, and effort make him a fun study on the field and someone who should be able to maximize his opportunity immediately.

Arbitrary Grade: A

Bold Prediction: Jones finishes top 5 among rookies in sacks in 2025

5. Que Robinson, EDGE, Alabama

Everyone was waiting eagerly for the Broncos to make their pick on Day 3 after the controversial Pat Bryant selection in the third round. It was assumed that they would double-down on offensive playmakers but that didn't end up being the case.

Instead, just like with their cornerback and defensive tackle selections, the Broncos strengthened a strength by adding Que Robinson from Alabama.

Robinson was buried on the depth chart early on in his Alabama career, but played a crucial role on special teams. The Broncos believe he can be a core-four special teams guy immediately, but the reason why he was picked in the 4th round was his upside off the edge.

Given the fact that playing time on defense could be sparse as a rookie, this pick was perceived in a pretty negative light, but Robinson showed something this past season at Alabama. You can never have too many pass rushers.

Arbitrary Grade: B

Bold Prediction: Robinson makes the Pro Bowl on special teams as a rookie

6. Jeremy Crawshaw, P, Florida

The Broncos took the player they had ranked as their top punter in the 2025 NFL Draft with the final selection of the sixth round.

I don't know if you can really hate on this pick at all. Punter was an underrated need for Denver after Riley Dixon turned down their offer to return in free agency, instead leaving for the Buccaneers.

Crawshaw has a big leg and could really thrive in the thin air of Denver. With Darren Rizzi basically hand-selecting this guy, I love the pick and feel like you can't have enough true advantages on special teams.

Arbitrary Grade: A

Bold Prediction: Crawshaw leads the NFL in net punting as a rookie

7. Caleb Lohner, TE, Utah

One of the most fascinating picks on Day 3 of the NFL Draft was Denver's round seven selection of Caleb Lohner. We don't need to make any mountains out of molehills here, but the last time Sean Payton drafted a basketball player and converted him into a tight end was Jimmy Graham.

It would be unfair to put those kinds of expectations on Lohner, so we won't. But he is a fascinating player at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds with outstanding leaping ability and athletic traits. He had just four receptions and didn't even play 60 snaps as a college football player, but all four of his receptions were touchdown catches.

Very interesting, indeed.

This is a shot in the dark but the Broncos loved Lohner's traits and movement skills on the field. This is a guy worth devleoping.

Arbitrary Grade: B+

Bold Prediction: Lohner duplicates last season at Utah, catching 4 passes as a rookie -- all for TDs.