Broncos rookie trio earns phenomenal preseason grades from PFF

The Denver Broncos haven't had a ton of NFL Draft capital over the last handful of years thanks to the trades to acquire both Russell Wilson and Sean Payton. That doesn't appear to be stopping the 2024 rookie class from potentially being one of the best the Broncos have had in a long, long time.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton recently told Cynthia Frelund of NFL Network and 9News that he had a conversation with owner Greg Penner during training camp about how this rookie class is going to be one they look back on as a group that was significant to what they were able to accomplish.

Well, it may only be the preseason at this point, but the early returns on the 2024 NFL Draft class have been extremely positive, if not overwhelmingly so. The folks over at Pro Football Focus have taken notice and we're seeing the Broncos' top picks getting outstanding grades after the team's dominating win over the Packers.

Bo Nix was PFF's highest-graded rookie QB in Week 2 of the preseason

The fact that PFF is saying nice things about the Denver Broncos is bordering on concerning. And, to be fair, there hasn't really been much nice to be said about the Broncos over the last 7-8 years. With that said, PFF has called the Broncos the worst roster in the NFL this offseason. So the fact that they are grading these guys high is a significant change of pace.

To see Bo Nix graded higher than Caleb Williams or any other rookie quarterback is really cool for Broncos Country to see. Again, it's the preseason, but wouldn't we all be concerned if Nix was looking bad in the preseason? It's alright to be excited that he's playing really well.

Jonah Elliss impressing the analytics community

To say it's been an outstanding preseason for Jonah Elliss might be an understatement at this point. He's passing every test with flying colors and looks like he's just picking up where he left off at Utah with the way he's dismantling offensive tackles.

The conversation surrounding Elliss as a rookie may no longer be about "if" we're going to see him, but whether or not he's going to start eating into the snap counts of Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, and Nik Bonitto. He's been phenomenal so far.

Kris Abrams-Draine looking like a Day 3 steal for Broncos

How about Broncos rookie cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine ranking in the top 10 of all Day 3 NFL Draft picks in overall PFF grade so far this preseason?

Abrams-Draine has been fantastic throughout the course of training camp for the Denver Broncos and has carried that over into the preseason games. And we should get our most extensive look at him in the preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals.

We've seen a lot of good things from the rookie class overall, and the way things are progressing, it looks like we can count on this class to make a substantial impact beyond the preseason as well.