The Denver Broncos have a long history of undrafted players making a name for themselves in the Mile High City, from Rod Smith to Chris Harris Jr., and even more recent examples like Jaleel McLaughlin, Nate Adkins, and Ja'Quan McMillian.
The Broncos know how to find 'em, but if there's anyone who's been better at it than the Broncos over the course of his career, it's head coach Sean Payton. Payton has put on a masterclass of finding undrafted free agents throughout the course of his NFL career and you'll recognize plenty of names like Tony Romo, Pierre Thomas, Lance Moore, Wil Lutz, and more.
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Broncos' undrafted free agent haul in 2025 even if the names aren't all the most recognizable. One player that isn't getting enough fanfare is North Carolina Central wide receiver Joaquin Davis, a freaky athlete with one particular ability that could lead to a 53-man roster spot in 2025.
Broncos land UDFA steal in Joaquin Davis of North Carolina Central
Davis scored a whopping 9.33 on the RAS scale, checking in at 6-foot-4, 194 pounds with a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and a 42-inch vertical jump. The physical traits really stand out for this guy, but instead of merely focusing on his deep speed being an asset for the offense, may I interest you in an absolute special teams ace?
Davis was credited with a whopping 12 special teams tackles at NC Central and that kind of production on kick and punt coverage is going to get you noticed by NFL teams.
The Broncos have Darren Rizzi as their special teams coordinator/assistant head coach, and Rizzi undoubtedly put his stamp on the team's 2025 rookie class. The Broncos took a very special teams-forward approach on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft with the selections of Que Robinson in the 4th round and Jeremy Crawshaw in the 6th round. They went after a player like Davis after the NFL Draft and while everyone will be excited about his athletic traits offensively, he has a better chance of making an impression on special teams.
The Broncos are not rare in this regard, but they are one of a few NFL teams willing to use 53-man roster spots on guys who only contribute on special teams. The last couple of years, we've seen Tremon Smith on the roster adding no value defensively, but plenty of it on special teams. The Broncos replaced him this offseason with Trent Sherfield, who is at least competent offensively as a receiver, but won't likely factor much into the rotation there.
The addition of a player like Davis should excite the fan base, even if his offensive contributions are minimal early on.