At long last, the Denver Broncos have finally added a weapon for Bo Nix. The Denver Broncos had a top-10 offense in the NFL last season despite a rookie quarterback and a highly questionable group of skill position players. That group has officially been upgraded in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft as the Broncos moved down multiple times and landed UCF running back RJ Harvey.
After snagging Jahdae Barron in the first round, it almost felt like the Broncos had no choice but to go after the offensive side of the ball in the second round. And they delivered.
There were higher-profile running backs on the board like Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa and DJ Giddens out of Kansas State, but the Bronocs kept their intentions with Harvey hidden by bringing in just about every other Day 2 running back for a top 30 visit.
Broncos land RJ Harvey with 60th overall pick in 2025 NFL Draft
From NFL.com's Lance Zierling on Harvey's game:
"Productive, blue-collar back with a compact frame and a willingness to get his nose dirty on each snap. Harvey lacks creativity and burst but adds yards after contact with contact balance and lower-body strength. While he’s well built, he’s not a big back by NFL standards, so he needs to run with better vision and tempo to get past second-level defenders at a decent rate. He’s a dump-and-dash pass catcher with below-average pass protection, so he’s unlikely to compete for third-down reps. Harvey’s will as a runner is admirable, but backup duty might be his ceiling."
- Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
Harvey is 5-foot-8, 205 pounds, so he's a uniquely built back who runs with outstanding contact balance. He also has some serious giddy-up, running a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
The Broncos let Javonte Williams walk in NFL Free Agency, so one of the biggest priorities was getting a back who could play all three downs. Harvey gives the Broncos exactly that. He had an outrageous 48 total touchdowns (a UCF record) over the course of his college career.
The Broncos have a relatively quick turnaround with the 74th overall pick coming up in round three, but this is a very fun pick for the Denver Broncos, potentially getting the next "Darren Sproles" type of joker for Sean Payton's offense. Another player Harvey has been compared to is Bucky Irving, who had a huge year for the Bucs last season.
The Broncos need to continue to add weapons and Harvey is a great start.