We have officially arrived at 2025 NFL Draft week, and the Denver Broncos are poised to make some major waves. This is a monumental draft class for both head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton, because neither of those guys has ever had a draft class where they are building around a young franchise QB they just drafted the year before.
Bo Nix was the first-ever first-round quarterback taken by the duo of Payton and Paton, and the Broncos showed last year that they are probably a year ahead of their rebuild schedule thanks to the development of Nix and a number of other young players on the roster. Adding the right talent around Nix is of paramount importance so the offense can take a step forward this year and make progress in the AFC.
The Broncos can't be afraid to hurt feelings or make difficult decisions with the depth of this draft class. Very few players on the roster are going to be untouchable and there are plenty of guys whose jobs are on the line depending on who the Broncos select.
Jaleel McLaughlin among Broncos players who could lose jobs to 2025 rookies
1. Jaleel McLaughlin, running back
Jaleel McLaughlin has been credited with starting eight games over his first two NFL seasons, though he's only played 489 total snaps. He played nearly 300 total snaps this past season and frankly, his overall snap count and usage increase didn't lead to much more success in his second NFL season.
The Broncos obviously like McLaughlin as a change-of-pace type of back, but he had 572 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in 2024 after having 570 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in 2023. That was with an increase of more than 100 total snaps.
It's clear that the Broncos don't view McLaughlin as a "joker" in Sean Payton's offense, and with the team likely emphasizing the running back position in this draft class, I am not so sure his job is safe at all.
2. Troy Franklin/Devaughn Vele, wide receiver
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been adamant this offseason that his team is pleased with the wide receiver position and the development of young guys they have. We're going to find out in a few days just how genuine he's being with those comments.
"We drafted two receivers last year. The good news is, after their first year, we really like their progress. Just take [WR] Marvin [Mims Jr.] for a second from Year 1 to Year 2. We saw the return ability, and we saw glimpses of it in his rookie year. [He had] more production obviously in his second year. [WR] Troy [Franklin], the same way. [He] came in, picked things up. [WR] Courtland [Sutton] is such a positive role model and leader for these guys. [WR Devaughn] Vele, I could even hit on all these guys, just relative to our overall depth. We’re going to add numbers to the position when you look at what we take to training camp, whether that’s through the draft or free agency. I would say we’re happy with the two we selected a year ago, the one we selected two years ago and the guys that are already here."
- Broncos HC Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
Unfortunately, the reality of last season is that the Broncos were terrible in the drops department. What's also concerning about both Vele and Franklin? Between the two of them, they played a total of one special teams snap in 2024 (Vele played one).
These guys don't offer anything in that phase of the game, so they are going to have to take a significant step forward as receivers if they are going to beat out an incoming rookie for a job. And I still feel in my Spidey senses that the Broncos could use their top pick on the receiver position.
3. Alex Singleton, linebacker
It doesn't get talked about all that often, but the linebacker position will likely still be an area the Broncos look to upgrade in the 2025 NFL Draft.
My hope is that we see the team put an emphasis on getting more snaps for 2023 third-round pick Drew Sanders this coming season, but it can't be denied that the 2025 NFL Draft offers some upside at linebacker the Broncos don't currently have on the roster.
Alex Singleton is coming off of a knee injury and is into his 30s. He already wasn't the fleetest of foot, so to throw a knee injury into the mix is concerning. Justin Strnad played pretty well last year and could be a factor in the lineup as well, but some folks think the Broncos could use a pick in the top 3-4 rounds on the linebacker position yet again.
And that player would likely be a contender to start sooner rather than later.
4. Luke Wattenberg, center
One of the position groups Sean Payton has consistently emphasized throughout his tenure as an NFL head coach is the interior offensive line. He's used a lot of money on those positions and a lot of high draft picks as well.
The Broncos have invested heavily in the offensive line over the last couple of years and it has paid off, but the center position is arguably the only weak link up front. If the Broncos are able to land a top-flight center on their board in this class, we could see Luke Wattenberg ousted for his starting job.
Wattenberg showed some decent improvement last season, but isn't the best run blocker and had a number of snaps that floated slowly back to quarterback Bo Nix.