Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos Jahdae Barron, RJ Harvey BIGGEST IMPACT Rookie Additions

Episode Date: April 28, 2025

The Denver Broncos have finalized their 2025 NFL Rookie Draft class. Jahdae Barron for the Broncos defense and RJ Harvey for the Broncos offense are poised to have the biggest immediate impact for Sean Payton. Why are rookies like Jeremy Crawshaw, Que Robinson, and Sai'vion Jones in a position to have a surprise impact this upcoming season? Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos. WANT MORE DAILY DENVER BRONCOS CONTENT?For all of the latest Denver Broncos news today -- Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBroncos?sid=YouTube Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL Follow on Twitter: @CodyRoarkNFL and @SayreBedingerFollow the show on Twitter: @LockedOnBroncos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Amazon Fire TV Stick 4kDid you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Denver Broncos finalizer, a 2025 NFL rookie draft class. And we'll tell you why Jada Baron, R.J. Harvey, are two players that will have an immediate impact on day one for the Denver Broncos on today's episode of the show. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's happening at Broncos country? Welcome into another episode with Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast.

Part of the Lockdown Podcast network where you know is your team. team every day for all your Broncos news content coverage analysis or more. This is the place to be. So special shout out to all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in making us your first listen. However, you choose to do so. And it's easy to be coming every day. All you have to do is hit that subscriber, that follow button wherever you get your podcast. And you're never going to miss out on anything as a pertains to your favorite coverage of all things, orange and blue. As always, I'm your host, Cody Rourke, Broncos reporter for Mile High

Sports. And I'm Sarah Bedinger, the site expert at predominantly orange. together you get the best broncos podcast out there for all your objective coverage points of view. There's no better place than lockdown Broncos. And Broncos country, here's what we got on today's episode of the show. We're reacting to the Broncos 2025 rookie draft class. And we're going to go through and tell you why we believe players like Jada, Baron R.J. Harvey are going to be impact players for the Broncos on offense and defense on day one. We also go into several players we believe could be surprise additions that could get playing time this upcoming season,

including a new punter and Jeremy Crosho. And we'll also tell you why guys like Caleb Loner could be big time projects here for the Broncos that could have some high upside potential. We'll break it all down much more on today's episode of the show. Sarah, my friend, look, obviously 2025 NFL draft is in the books. And I would say for the most part, when you look at Broncos, you can look at all the comments on all of our shows since the Broncos have added players. This fan base, they feel a certain way. A lot of fans feel great about it.

A lot of fans don't like the draft. class. There's not a lot of the flashy, sexy names that they were looking for that we were even adding in our mock drafts here. But overall, this is a draft class by the Broncos on paper. And it's just like, you just have to wait and see. I think ultimately that's going to be our biggest point that we're going to drive home. But they did add some game changes in here. And look, I think we're going to start off with their first two picks in the draft. There's Jada Baronada, Texas and R.J. Harvey, who we touched on when they were drafted. But now we have a little bit of some big picture focus when it comes to these two prospects.

Yeah, as always with any NFL draft class, you are going to have to reserve judgment until these guys get on the field. But the great news is, is I think the top two picks for sure in this class and a couple of others that we'll talk about later. But the top two picks for sure are going to be getting on the field a lot as rookies. I mean, the Broncos made a substantial investment. And I would argue, Cody, that I don't know this for a fact. But because we know that the Broncos didn't expect Jad A Barron to be there in the first round, I would argue that they legitimately changed their entire draft plan around selecting him in the first round. Because if that wasn't a scenario that you had envisioned happening, then they adjusted their draft plan based on this guy.

So I think that's fascinating when you think about it that way. And certainly he's a player who you and I did an episode on the show. I know in our final mock draft, we didn't have Jaude A Baron going to the Broncos, but we did do an entire episode dedicated to the idea of potentially, drafting him and the connections that are made between, you know, him and Vance Joseph's cousin working at Texas. So you and I did call that, not we didn't call the pick, but we did call that out early in the process. And so I know all the every, every dayers out there heard about Jaudey Baron in the process. So there is reason to bring him in. There's reason to bring him in.

That's obvious. And it's the middle of the field defense really struggled last year for the Denver Broncos. And that was at all three levels, right? It wasn't just J-Quan. Macmillan in the slot. It was your linebackers struggling to pass off coverage. It was struggling between the safeties and the linebackers with communication and, you know, breakdowns on the back end. But it starts with that nickel, that slot corner where Jade Barron now gives you not only a guy who is as instinctive as anybody, but he's got ball skills. He's got elite athletic traits, elite top end speed, a 439 in the 40-yard dash. So you add a true top 10 player. This is the bottom line. The Broncos, when they were picking at 20, we're not expecting to get somebody that they actually had a first round grade on because we know there's probably what, 10, 12, maybe 15 in a really good class guys that actually have first round grades for the Broncos to get one. That's a big deal.

Well, and for them, they also view it as, you know, if we make our defense better, we know that's going to help Bo Nix. You know, a big reason you look at the Broncos in games that they played against Baltimore and games they played against Buffalo. You know, a lot of the issue, especially towards the end of the season is that the Broncos defense was on the field way too long. And there were too many plays given up in the passing game or, you know, attacking the inside linebackers there. So what are the Broncos do this offseason? They go on, they get Talenoa Hufanga to pair alongside Brandon Jones. They go and get Drake Greenlaw to add that versatility at the inside linebacker position. And now you add another cover guy, which the Broncos believed to be very important.

I mean, Sarah, we saw what was like without Riley Moss, how the Broncos managed to play. Like when Riley Moss was on the field, the Broncos played man coverage. According to NFL next gen stats, 40.1% of the time with Riley, when he was not on the field, they played man coverage, it dropped to 31% how often they played it there. So a massive drop off in how it impacted scheme. Now you have Jaquam Macmillan, who's still going to be on this roster, but now you have what the Broncos to believe, four really good defensive backs. And we're not even talking. We're not even including Chris Abrams drain at this point. But look at the teams that the Broncos are going to play this season.

Heavy, laden, wide receiver teams. First off, you get that rematch against the Cincinnati Bengals. You're going to need to find a way to be able to cover all those guys. You got the Washington commanders who've obviously added some weapons there for Jaden Daniels, the Philadelphia Eagles. They have some really good wide receivers, plus a very strong. wrong run game there was Sequin Barclay. The Dallas Cowboys, they've got receivers. They got CD Lamb, the charters. They have Mike Williams, Ladd McCocky. I mean, they couldn't stop Ladd McCocky when he was really the only guy last year. So they've added to that. Trey Harris

as well, Kansas City, they're going to have wide receivers. And look, they got speed. And that's the thing is you need to be able to have cover guys. And George Payton, Sean Payton said it, like a cornerback is a premium position. He said, back in the day, you could have one really good cornerback. And if you didn't have another good one on the other side, it could have been problematic. Now, if you don't have at least two good corners, it can be problematic in today's game. Jaadet Barron gives the Broncos some juice there right away. And look, I love, I mean, I did a film review of Rami sports. I love everything that this player brings to the table. And I'm a defensive back guy. So I might be a little biased when it comes to that. Just watching D.B's play.

I think it's going to be a seamless fit into this scheme here for Vance Joseph. And they're just going to have to keep building on that. But I, but now let's get, let's talk about RJ Harvey here in terms of being another game changer, a guy who can have an impact day one. You and I said it in the podcast after they drafted him, I really see a vision where, okay, yes, yes, they got Adrick Estimate. And I think people look at the Broncos running back room and say, well, these guys are all unproven. That is true.

But the Broncos, if Adric Estimate does become the guy that they think he can be, the guy that we saw against the Kansas City Chiefs is just hard to bring down, he can wear down a defense. And then you bring in a guy like R.J. Harvey who not only has 4-4 explosive speed, he can bounce it to the outside and get up the sideline really quickly. But on top of that, he's also bruisingly physical despite being 580s, 205 pounds. This is like the Broncos have a chance to have a really good running back duo if it plays out into the way the Broncos have this vision for him. Plus, you mentioned the factor. He can contribute and grow more, I think, as a receiver out of the backfield. But he's also going to be, I think, an element there. He could be very much in the last. line to be next to Marvin Mims as the other kick return of this upcoming season, which, you know, you impact three phases of that.

The Broncos really believe they got great value in these two picks. And I think when you look at it on paper, I think, yes, they did. Now it's got to translate onto the field. That's what we have to see here. Yeah, we do. And I can't wait to see that because the Broncos haven't had a running back with this kind of explosiveness in a really long time. I mean, on a consistent basis, too.

We're talking about since 2023, no running back in all. of college football had as many 15 plus yard runs as did RJ Harvey. So we're talking about one of the best big play running backs in the entire draft. And if folks are worried about his size, our good friend Larry, who's an everyday listener of the show pointed out to me during the draft, Cody, he's just a scosh smaller than Ashton Genty.

I mean, it's borderline not even noticeable when you look at their measurables on paper. So we're all worried about Genti going to the Raiders, or we would have loved a scenario where he could have been a Bronco, weren't worried about Genties size in that instance, but RJ Harvey is really about the same exact size. So fascinating to me from that vantage point, and you talk about the explosiveness,

the speed, showing no ill effects of what I think is one of the biggest criticisms of the selection is that he had a major knee injury back in 2022. We don't see any ill effects from that, Cody, obviously on the field when you're that explosive, running a 4-4, the vertical jump is there, the Rass is there. I mean, it's all there for this guy.

So, I mean, the injury, you note it, obviously. You have it in the back of your mind. But when you're really calculating when you have an injury as a factor is, did that affect the way the guy played? And we don't see that. No, I mean, honestly, he had better numbers post-ACL than he had numbers before the ACL injury. You know, 2022, he suffered the ACL injury. 2023, he comes back and runs for, I think, 1,400 yards, 16 touchdowns on the ground.

24, he follows it up with a 1,500-yard performance, 22 touchdowns on the ground. And look, I was having fun watching him on tape because there's times, and their offense, UCS offense, I mean, it was nothing special really outside of RJ Harvey. I mean, their quarterback was just up and down at times, but their scheme wasn't necessarily complex. They would motion him out of the pistol right next to the back into a gun look, and they'd get a handoff, he'd do an inside zone,

he'd see something there. If the whole close, he bounced it outside and he got big, big time yards, explosive plays. He's patient on the inside as well. I mean, he played significantly better after the ACL than his numbers were before he even suffered the knee injury. So not obviously a worry there. The Broncos like his medicals. I'm excited, but right now he and Audrake Estimates seem like the two guys on this roster running back that are guaranteed to be there.

I think now everybody else, Jolin McLaughlin, you look at Tyler Biday, you look at Blake Watson. These guys are going to be competing, I think, for that final spot on the 53. I'm very curious to see how that's going to play out here. Broncos Country. I want to know your thoughts on the impact that you believe Jada Baron, R.J. Harvey could have here, day one for the Broncos. A lot of storylines as we get ready for training camp, which will come up here in July.

But we're not done yet. Broncos Country. Still got a lot to break down on today's episode of the show. Up next, we're going to talk about players like Pat Bryant, Savian Jones, and Q Robinson, players we believe, could have a surprise impact this upcoming season for the Broncos, despite them having key depth of those positions. Already.

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Pat Bryant, Savion Jones, and maybe a punter from down under now coming to the mile high city to start booming the ball and helping with field position. But Broncos country, before we get into those picks, I want to say thank you and give a shout out to all of you that hung out with Cody and I during the NFL draft and that became everyday listeners, especially for those of you that are just discovering the show and becoming everyday listeners. We appreciate every single one of you. Hit subscribe if you haven't done so already. You can be coming every day or today because your boys, Cody and Sarah. We got you covered all offseason long with everything Denver Broncos. Cody, let's talk about some of the instant

impact that we can expect or maybe I guess maybe in terms of what fans are expecting right now, some surprise impact as well because day two of the NFL draft, Broncos got their running back. They got RJ Harvey in the fold. And then everyone was kind of expecting a run on playmakers. So with their very next pick, which they effectively traded up to get Pat Bryant, a controversial to say the least wide receiver selection out of Illinois. I'm curious for your take on this now, having kind of been able to watch more of Pat and see a little bit more of what he brings to the table because look, this was a surprise selection. There were not any mock drafts that I saw that had Pat Bryant going to the Broncos in round three,

but they prioritized this guy. It wasn't like they were like, shoot, we need to take a wide receiver. They picked him over other guys and effectively moved up to get him. Yeah, well, and I think this is a big reason why when we talk about the practice of mock drafts and how certain outlets may have guys ranked or projected at different spots, the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Sean Payton said it doesn't matter where other teams have these guys. Like, for example, a lot of people had Troy Franklin with the what, fourth or fifth round

grade, the Broncos, they had a round two grade on him. Audrakesstimate, what do they have, a round two or round three grade on him initially? and he went in round number five. Ultimately, what matters is that the team sees something in him. And right now, as we know, the commitment to Broncos already have to that wide receiver room that's already in place, they added a guy that they feel like is going to bring value. This is going to grow into, I think, a pivotal role here.

Look, 6'3, 190 pounds. And the thing about Pat Bryant that I really like and all people have to do. Like, you're seeing people say, oh, he ran a 4, 6, 40 yard dash that he's not very fast. But when you watch him actually make plays with the football on his hands, he's got explosive play capability, right? It's not necessarily about like you can have a guy who runs a 4-340, but never does anything at the NFL level, but this is a guy who's pretty solid with his routes.

You know, he's not necessarily going to be a guy who's going to beat man coverage, but when you scheme certain things up and you scheme him open in certain situations, you know that he's going to catch the football, reliable hands. He's a willing blocker. Like, that's the thing. And on top of that, Sarah, he was a former captain. So he's going to come into this wide receiver room, learn from Cortland Sutton, who is a veteran leader, a veteran captain as is.

And this is a guy who I think is going to carve out a role for himself immediately on special teams. He's got more of a chance, I think to rotate into the wide receiver position. I think that many people think I'll rotate in over a guy like Trent Sherfield at this point. He was probably just going to be a special teams guy. But Pat Bryant, don't just, I hate when people just look at like a box score, but they don't actually watch the player. Watch the player.

You can see easily why the Broncos, like him because this is a guy who does the dirty work. And I think that's something that Sean Payton values. And look, it kind of fits the mold for what he's looking for guys who have size. And I think somebody said he's little Jordan Humphrey who can catch in a sense. And I was like, well, I don't necessarily know if that's necessarily. Don't, don't make that like that doesn't come across as a compliment because I think fans are really split on, you know, little Jordan Humphrey did.

A lot of people are mad at little Jordan Humphard taking snaps away from other guys. But what I think that that analogy is that somebody said, I think you're going to get a guy who's going to be more consistent across the board with a guy like Pat Bryan. Look, they may not need him to play a big role now, but this is a guy who could be a surprise player. Sarah, do we remember Devon Valle? Everyone's like, why did the Broncos get this guy? He's 27 years old.

Oh, you know, he's not going to add much to the table. And then all of a sudden everyone's like, oh, my gosh, Devon Velae, training camp. Wow, this guy's going to make the 53-man roster. Like, just let things play out. I think that Bryant could have a special team's impact right away. But I think he's very much in line to maybe compete to rotate in. I don't think Devon Valey's spot is necessarily safe. I think that there is competition there with him.

Obviously, A.T. Perry and Pat Bryant right now for maybe some playing time. And I'm excited to see how it's going to play out. But I want to get your thoughts on Savion Jones, man, because we talked about defensive end. You can go Savian Jones. We'll also talk about Q Robinson. And this may carry over into the next segment. But I look at these additions that the Broncos made on the defensive end.

And one thing stands out with Savian Jones. One thing stands out with Q Robinson, high motor, high energy, athletic skill set to them as well. This is something that the Broncos specifically for the edge rusher and defensive end positions. It seems like that room values that a lot. Yeah, they do. That effort. And it's exemplified from the top down at the depth chart, right? Zach Allen, I mean, you can't pull the guy off the field.

He refuses to come off. He's just a high effort. Every down, every snap player, John Franklin Myers is very. much the same type of guy and DJ Jones as well. These guys are just relentless workers. It's going to be fascinating to see where Savion Jones fits into the rotation because off the top of my head, it's pretty easy to kind of write off Jordan Jackson and say, well, he's going to take Jordan Jackson snaps. But I think the Broncos have a lot of good players on that defensive front. They can rotate guys. It can bring guys in waves. There's a element of Savion Jones game

that I feel is just perfect for instant impact. It's his explosiveness off the snap, his length. And then I mentioned this on yesterday's show too, Cody, or a couple shows ago. I can't remember which one the draft glars things together. But it's this bat out of hell mentality when the ball is snapped because you just cause like a frenzy when you're out there and you've got these 34 inch arms over an 80 inch wing span and you're using your length combined with effort, hustle, and then you've got these different rip moves.

You're spinning and trying to get just doing whatever it takes to get to the quarterback. It's not like a stunt that offensive linemen can just pick up. It's like a guy who's like we need to like, it's like the kid at the daycare that's like everybody else is doing their thing. Everybody else is falling in line. And then this other kid at the daycare is just like ripping things off the wall and and, you know, trying to climb out the window. That's what I mean when it's like bat out of hell. It's like you're causing chaos no matter what. just every time the ball is snapped.

And so I love that element of his game. And I love the fact that Jamar Kane, the Broncos, well, formerly past Rush Coach, now he's, I believe, just the whole D-line. So he coached him at LSU, right? Or, yeah, he coached him at LSU. And so there's a connection there. And the three degrees of separation, by the way, came into play with every single selection, I think the Broncos made in this draft, which is fascinating.

So it might be time to start reading the T-leys before the draft, as opposed to maybe those top 30 visits, which Broncos rarely take guys from that. But Savion Jones, a great pick, should definitely play at least 150 to 200 snaps this year. And I think he'll maximize those. 100%. I think the Broncos, if they're going to invest in paying Zach Allen,

there may be a thing like, hey, we love the motor that you have, but we want to be able to protect you. We want to protect our investment. So there's going to be times where you have to come off the field instead of playing, you know, 99%. of the defensive snaps. And the only time he ever comes off, really, is when he gets banged up on a play.

Man, he gets banged up. He comes right back out there. That's the thing you like about Zach. But you got a really good rotational guy in Jordan Jackson. But I also think, Tavion Jones could be where the Broncos view like, hey, we've got John Franklin Myers. If we can't extend him, can this guy showcase something this year where maybe he grows into a starter role potentially?

I mean, that's certainly an option on the table. It's just a vision right now, next year, two years from now. what are you thinking about there? And that's what goes into the thought process when the Broncos are looking at bringing in prospects. With Savion Jones, you know, obviously the four and a half socks at LSU, that stands out there. But man, you look at his pressures, right? Pressures are a very, very important number, right? We talk about that so much.

It's one of the statistics that should be counted more, 43 pressures last season at LSU. That's more in one season than his previous three years combined. So this is a player they believe high motor developmental trajectory is heading in a nice direction. the Broncos like this pick. But we're not done yet. Broncos country steel. We're going to break down the surprise impact that guys like Q Robinson and Jeremy Croshaw

could have for the Broncos right away. And on top of that, we'll tell you why Caleb Loner is a developmental project that could turn out into something special for Sean Payton. You'll get that much more here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by Nissan and the Armada pick of the week,

brought to you by our friends over there at Nissan and the all new 2025 Nissan. Armada. And this week, we are highlighting the top pick from our draft, the one selection that truly, truly stood out. The guy who showcased the strength and power to push the Denver Broncos forward as we look ahead to next season. I mean, Sarah, this week's Armada and clear cut top pick of the draft is Jadai Barron quarterback out of Texas, what he's going to bring to the table here for the Denver Broncos. He's got a rugged play style, you know, heavy duty in terms of where the Broncos are out with their now cornerback depth. But this is a guy who can conquer the road with

capability and confidence. Dream big, go big. This is a guy. I think it's going to have an immediate impact for the Broncos on day one inside the secondary. And when it comes to the Nissan Armada, they say go forth and conquer. And that's exactly what I think Jada Baron can do here. And it's clear that our top pick of the draft is out here, ready to conquer the road ahead with confidence, just like you can. And the all new Nissan Armada or any of their outstanding vehicles, take the Nissan Armada, the road or Pathfinder, and go find your next big adventure. shop Nissan USA.com. The fourth quarter action of today's episode, Lockdown Broncos is here now as the NFL draft

has concluded. Broncos country, we want to know your thoughts on Denver's rookie class here in 2025, but we're going to go through and continue to talk about players we believe can have a surprise impact and obviously why one player in this year's draft class has developmental traits that could be exciting or could amount to nothing. Well, that's still to be determined. We'll break it down here. I want to say thanks to all the everydayers out there in Broncos.

country tuning in making us your first list and however you choose to do so sir let's continue on here let's move on to cue robinson obviously outside linebacker edge rusher was really a key special team's ace for the alabama crimson tide i know a player that nick sabin loved a ton you know when you look at it defensively you can certainly see hey this guy's quick off the edge he's got a really good bend to him he's also got a wide variety of different pass rush tools but while this isn't a position of need for the broncos Denver adding depth here here in the event, I think, of any injury at outside linebacker, but I think more importantly, I feel like with some of the rule changes coming up on

special teams, I think this was a key special teams move as well. 100%. This guy is going to be absolutely out there as a core for a special teamer, making an impact very early on. And I found it interesting that the Broncos and George Payton talked about how, I think he played like roughly 350 or so snaps at Alabama last year. And they really talked about how you started to see him come on. as an edge guy on tape last season.

And yes, it's a small sample size for this guy, but the talent has always been there, right? A four-star or a five-star prospect, depending on what recruiting site you utilize. And you just kind of get buried on the depth chart. And again, George Payton alluded to him getting buried behind Will Anderson and Dallas Turner and those other players, which is a similar issue that I think Drew Sanders face.

So maybe these two guys can relate a little bit on that. But I think when you look at what the best teams in the last, in the league. They all have depth off the edge. They all are bringing waves of pass rushers. Look at the Philadelphia Eagles. I mean, they have so many different guys that you can bring off the edge. And they're always replenishing that talent. They're not just sitting on, well, hey, we got our top two or three guys set. So we're good. Just have a couple of undrafted guys out there who play special teams. No, you want to stack that room with talent. And so while I understand that Broncos fans wanted another weapon offensively there, and I don't disagree, I

I would have been totally happy with that. I would have been very excited. I love the idea of strengthening a strength and getting yourself another pass rusher. Nick Benito's in a contract year. Dondre Tillman signed an exclusive rights, free agent tender. No guarantee that he's going to duplicate or improve upon last year's performance. Jonah Ellis got a shoulder issue. So you already can see the thought process here of like, hey, worst case scenario,

we've got a guy that's elite on special teams. Best case scenario, he develops into a potential start. down the line. And that's not a bad thing. That's not a bad thing at all. And like I said, I put a tweet out there that coming into the draft, Sarah, the Broncos on offense and defense, they had their starter set maybe at every position except what, running back really being the only one in question, everybody and inside linebacker, but we know who's already in that competition. We know it's going to be between a few players. They weren't going to draft a player that's going to come in and be the starter next to Gray Greenlaw. But ideally, every starting position was

set on this roster. So really, it is about adding depth. It's about adding impact players. And I think Broncos country, like the ones who are so angry, wanted them to add a starter in rounds one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. That's unrealistic, though some of these guys, doesn't matter where they get drafted. It's what they do with the opportunity. Some of these guys can be starters here.

I think the guy who's probably got the best chance of being a starter is the punter. Jeremy Croshaw, the Australian out of Florida, obviously. And look, worked with Darren Rizzy in the pre-draft process, had lunch with him a handful of times. This is a player who, you know, I think over a course of 53 games at Florida, his average yard per, I mean, yard per punt, whatever it may be was what, 45.6 or 46.5. That's pretty good at the college, but he's in Ozzy. And that's the thing is you can boom it. Our good friend Andrew Mason said, you know, one of the bull games that he went to in terms of practices, when you heard him kick the ball,

it sounded like an echoing boom every time he did it. Like, that's the type of power he's got. in my opinion, I don't think the competition will be close between Matt Hack and Crosha. I think Crosha will probably get this one relatively quickly. Yeah, I wonder because we know the Broncos right now have two punters and two long snappers on the roster. I know Mitchell for Boni, the long snapper is dealing with an injury that he's recovering from. He's expected to be ready at some point later this offseason. It's not ideal, right, to have those two positions, having multiple guys on your offseason roster. but I do like, I do think that there will be a pretty quick competition there.

You draft a punner. I mean, you're going to keep that guy around and at least see what you've got for a year. You're not going to just waste that investment unless he's otherworldly bad, which I think that would be a surprise based on what we've seen and heard about his ability. So handpicked by Darren Rizzy, right? I mean, that's the thing about these two top two picks of day three of the draft is you can see Darren Rizzi's fingerprints all over it, which makes it even more fascinating. Yeah, and look, you got to be able to compete on special teams.

Like, that's a, I don't know if people realize it's like Sean Payton has driven to home since he came in, how important that third element of the game is. And the Broncos really last year, I mean, that's why he made some changes. They lost some games due to special teams. And that's not acceptable in his eyes. So I think they've made some moves here. They feel like, hey, this is going to elevate the competition in terms of guys trying to, you know, compete for a 53 men roster spot.

But in return, she'll make our special teams even better, which it was really good last year, but a couple of lapses cost the Broncos in some games last season. So, you know, a lot to look at there. Let's talk about the project here that, you know, Sean Payton, there were some conversations about, you know, you look at former basketball players,

transition into football. Julius Thomas played at Portland State, became a little big stud for the Broncos. You look at Jimmy Graham, former basketball player, Tony Gonzalez, former basketball player, transitioned to a football player, the thing with Caleb Loner, right? And this is just like this,

this is around seven pick. This is not like, wow, this is going to be game changing. But four catches, four total catcher. I appeared in 12 games for Utah. Four catches, I think 53 yards total, but four touchdowns. And six foot eight size, he's got athleticism there. He's still developing as a football player. So there's no guarantee this pick will ever work out.

But the Broncos are viewing us, huh, this is a project. What can we do? What can Sean Payton do with the guy who's worked with guys like Jimmy Graham? and obviously Jason Witt and things along, you know, other names like that, Jeremy Shockey. This would be an interesting project here for the Broncos.

Which I like. I think in the seventh round, that's kind of what you want to be doing, unless you're for sure getting somebody that, like a, you know, Jonathan Cooper who fell due to, I think some health concerns going into the draft.

Yeah. You want to get guys that are worthwhile risks to take. And it feels like the Broncos have either been on the winning side or the losing side of almost all the basketball guys who have really worked out in the NFL, right? I mean, Sean Payton now connecting them there to Jimmy Graham. And then you had to go against Gonzalez and Gates for all those years before getting Julius Thomas.

So I think it's an interesting dart throw. I love the fact that the dude just comes off the basketball for 56 snaps, I think, total for the Broncos to evaluate. And they're just like, hey, we're going to throw you the ball. If you can go grab it, that would be awesome. And he's like, oh, yeah, no problem. Four for four. That's a pretty ridiculous, ridiculous ratio right there. I mean, if it was even just one, like one throw, one catch, one touchdown, but he did it four times.

And so I think that's fascinating for this guy to be able to come into camp and show the Broncos what you can do. Yeah, two years in a row, you get a project at the tight end position. You know, Thomas Yasmin, another Utah guy, right? They like Thomas Yasmin because he's got potential to do some things as well. So I think where Denver's at, you know, could this be a weapon? Maybe. Is there a guarantee? No, right?

You don't have a lot to go off of. You don't have a sample size. It's going to say, hey, is this going to work? But you take a gamble on guys like this, right? You find gambles an undrafted rookie frequency all the time. Take a gamble here in a guy who's seventh round who's got athletic skill set. And the thing that Sean Payton said was we saw him move at his pro day. He's got really good movements.

He goes, you can see things are like, oh, okay, let's try it. You know, it's like not the money ball approach, but you're taking a chance on a guy that's got some physical and tangibles that if it can connect mentally. and you can start getting it to showcase at the NFL level. Okay, great. I mean, this is a guy who I think has an opportunity to be stashed away on the practice squad or Sair. He comes out in training camp in the preseason, ends up being one of the bigger surprises there. That would be an ideal, amazing thing to happen. But let's just wait and see, right?

There's nothing that's going to say it is going to work. It isn't going to work. But we could come in and we could be very surprised by another Broncos round seven edition out of Utah, kind of like the guy like Devon Valet was last season. you never know Broncos country but what that said let us know your thoughts on the Broncos 2025 rookie draft class now that you some of you have had a chance to actually do your research sit down and go actually watch these prospects as your perception of them changed it all from some of the initial crazy reactions i think that we saw you know from the widespread people of not being

happy you know Broncos fans not being happy with where Denver went i'm very curious to see what broncos country has to say but as always we appreciate you brocco's country thanks for being in every day or to be honest here we want to say thank you so much to everybody on YouTube, 17,000 every dayers that just now, that's where we surpassed there, Sarah. So obviously a lot of amazing interaction from everyone in Broncos country. We appreciate you so much for tuning in and locking in. We'll be back tomorrow.

We're going to take a look at the Broncos undrafted rookie free agent class who got the bigger signing bonuses, which players stand out as potential who could be the next undrafted gem that the Broncos established and maybe find their way under the 53-man roster. We'll break that down much more on tomorrow's episode, Lockdown Broncos.