With the big waves of free agency having already hit, the Denver Broncos are now shifting their focus to next month's draft. Though the team does not have a pick until the third round (barring a trade), important pieces can still be found.
The Broncos will likely be looking to beef up the offensive line even more in the draft while also perhaps looking for help along the defensive line as well as the linebacker and cornerback positions.
While running back won't be considered a primary concern following the free-agent signing of Samaje Perine, the Broncos do need more weapons at the spot. Beyond Javonte Williams and Perine, the rest of the team's depth chart at running back currently looks like this.
- Tony Jones
- Damarea Crockett
- Tyler Badie
- Tyreik McAllister
Jones was signed earlier in the week due to his experience in Sean Payton's offense. Badie has some upside but both Crockett and McAllister are guys to fill out the 90-man roster who will likely be practice squad guys at best or called on in a pinch.
The Broncos are going to need another young horse in the backfield and the third day of the draft (rounds 4-7) should offer some interesting options for the team to consider.
Day 3 running backs for Broncos to consider in NFL Draft
Zach Evans is not my favorite prospect on this list, but he is a running back that could be available in this range who comes from a solid football program and is coming off of a season in which he scored nine rushing touchdowns.
Evans is a quick, explosive and physical runner who teams could certainly decide to take a look at in the third round. He has a solid burst and will make big plays happen. He could easily become a starting running back in the league.
His college career began at TCU. He ran for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns in two seasons there but he nearly hit those numbers in one season at Ole Miss, where he became the starter and still put up numbers once the team went to a committee approach.
Evans will need to show that he can catch the football out of the backfield and step up and be a blocker in the passing game and those deficiencies, particularly in Payton's offense, are why he would not be my first choice. That said, he can be eased in while developing those traits.
The main benefactor of Evans transferring was Kendre Miller, who put up huge numbers in TCU's dream season in 2022.
Miller rushed for 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns in the high-powered offense of the Horned Frogs. We can't fall too in love with those numbers as he was a product of a great team but he has traits that will translate well at the next level.
Starting with his field vision. This is probably Miller's best trait. What he lacks in speed and explosiveness he makes up in patience and vision.
He is not the fastest running back in this class or the most explosive, but he is a tough, between the tackles runner who a team could be quite happy that they end up taking. He seems to be a true boom or bust candidate but the potential upside is definitely there and he could still be on the board in the fifth round.
Israel Abanikanda slowly worked his way up the running back ranks at Pitt before having a massive junior season in 2022 in which he rushed for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns, becoming the leading rusher in the ACC last season.
Abanikanda is 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds and is very quick for that size. He is only 20 years old and has yet to tap into his true potential and he is a guy who the Broncos have already met with ahead of the draft.
He showed he could catch the ball in college and was a willing blocker, but neither of those traits should be considered a strength and will need to be developed further. He is an intriguing prospect due to his youth, low mileage (only 390 college carries) and athleticism.
Tyjae Spears is a player that some scouts are going to love while others see as an average, rotational running back at best.
He is quite agile and possesses good vision but he is a bit on the smaller side (5-foot-10, 201 pounds) and may not be able to carry a huge workload due to that.
After tearing his ACL in 2020, Spears came back to lead Tulane in rushing in 2021 before having a huge year for a good Green Wave team in 2022. He rushed the ball 229 times for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns. That translates to a whopping 6.9 yards per carry.
Like Abanikanda, Spears caught some passes out of the backfield but he didn't excel in that area or just wasn't given enough of an opportunity to do so.
He still would slot in as a terrific No. 3 running back at the next level and in Denver, he could ease into a role that could certainly become bigger, especially if he were able to be an asset in the passing game.
There are teams that are going to look at Deuce Vaughn and take him right off of their draft board because of his size, or lack thereof. Vaughn measured 5-foot-5 and 175 pounds at the scouting combine, which by most any metric, is too small to play in the NFL.
But Vaughn has the athleticism to at least make teams take a look and if he can find the right team, could become an asset to a team in the league. The right team could easily be the Broncos for one reason, Sean Payton.
Vaughn rushed for 3,604 yards and 34 touchdowns in college but he also added 116 receptions and another nine touchdowns through the air. His ability as a receiver is why he could appeal to Denver and Payton has had a player like him before, Darren Sproles, who was also 5-foot-6 and also just happened to go to Kansas State.
Sproles was a superstar with Payton in New Orleans, enjoying the best seasons of his career there. He caught 232 passes and scored 16 receiving touchdowns in three seasons with the Saints. He was also one of the league's best return specialists.
It could be a bit much to expect Vaughn to have the same kind of pro career that Sproles had, but Payton could certainly find a spot for a guy like him and the Broncos could get him late in the selection process.