Well, Broncos Country, it's sad to say that the 2024-25 season is officially over. The Denver Broncos had a pretty great overall season with 10 regular season wins and a playoff appearance despite the fact that most of the national media had them winning five games or less. The Broncos were said to have one of the worst rosters in the league and a rookie quarterback who no one thought would make it.
The opposite -- thankfully -- turned out to be true. The Broncos discovered a true franchise quarterback in young Bo Nix. They had players step up all over the roster and emerge as core players going forward.
Yet there's no denying that the Broncos did everything we saw this season with one arm tied behind their backs and blindfolded. This team was dealing with over $89 million in dead cap and two years -- 2022-2023 -- without a top-50 NFL Draft pick. Not even a top-60 pick.
Bo Nix was the Broncos' first first-round selection since Pat Surtain II in 2021, so the hit rate on first-round picks is there for GM George Paton, at least. And his top selections, in general, have been pretty outstanding:
2021: CB Pat Surtain II
2022: EDGE Nik Bonitto
2023: WR Marvin Mims
2024: QB Bo Nix
So who will be Denver's top pick in 2025? Where are they even selecting in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Denver Broncos picking 19th in 2025 NFL Draft
Broncos unofficial pick order in 2025 NFL Draft
- 1st round: 19th overall
- 2nd round: 54th overall
- 3rd round: 85th overall
- 4th round
- 6th round (from Cardinals)
- 6th round (own pick)
- 6th round (from Eagles)
The Broncos currently do not own any 5th-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft nor do they have any 7th-round picks. They still have seven selections overall which is a great starting point as we know the team will be likely adding more capital one way or another at some point.
Who could the Broncos be targeting with the 19th pick in 2025 NFL Draft?
At this point, it's obviously impossible to know exactly who the Broncos will be taking with the 19th overall pick but there are plenty of strong candidates. A lot of Broncos fans love the idea of Penn State's Tyler Warren, a dynamic playmaker at tight end, in that slot. Michigan tight end Colston Loveland has gotten plenty of love for the Denver Broncos in round one as well.
If the Broncos take a wide receiver, Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka and Stanford's Elic Ayomanor seem to fit what Sean Payton likes at the position. Of course, Broncos Country would love to see someone like Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan or Missouri's Luther Burden come to Denver, but will they fall that far down the board?
This might be a rare year where multiple running backs get first-round consideration as well. Ashton Jeanty of Boise State is almost a lock for the top 20 picks and it'd be shocking if he lasted past Denver's pick in round one. Iowa's Kaleb Johnson and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton have also received some first-round hype in recent weeks.
As much as everyone wants to see the Broncos go after playmakers and playmakers only, it also wouldn't be shocking to see this team take advantage of a ridiculously deep defensive line class. There could be a handful of defensive linemen on the board when Denver is on the clock who could be full-time starters as early as 2026 with so many guys slated to hit free agency in the near future.
A couple of potential off-the-wall ideas for round one would be Georgia safety Malaki Starks to join forces with Brandon Jones on the back end or Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell. Linebacker and safety could be two primary needs for Denver's defense in 2025.