Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - RJ Harvey COULD SOLVE Denver Broncos' Running Back Struggles

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos running back room has struggled over the last couple of years, but we'll tell you why RJ Harvey and Audraguestime may very well be the solution to the Broncos problems in that department. All on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey there, Broncos country, what's happening? Welcome into another episode of Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast network where you know it is your.

Starting point is 00:00:35 team every day. Thank you so much to the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in making us your first listen of the day. However, you choose to do so enough if you're not yet in every day, it's super simple to become one. All you have to do is hit that subscriber, that follow button down below and you'll never miss out on what's going on with your favorite team every single day all year long. I'm your host as always Cody Rourke, Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. And I'm Sarah Bedinger, site expert, predominantly orange.com. And here's what you can expect on today's. episode of the show Broncos country. We continue our player profile

Starting point is 00:01:09 series on the Denver Broncos draft picks. We did one on Jada Barron yesterday. Today's focus is on R.J. Harvey and why he could lead the Broncos offense in a lot of different categories this upcoming season. We'll look at his fit within the system, but more importantly, we'll go over some of his

Starting point is 00:01:25 strengths, like his vision, his speed, and his explosiveness, and then we'll also go into some of his weaknesses as well. Bumbles over the last couple of years, is that a concern that Broncos fans should carryover into the regular season. We'll highlight that much more in today's episode of the show, which is brought to you by our friends. Amazon Fire TV stick 4K. Turn any TV into your Xbox. No console needed.

Starting point is 00:01:45 Head to Amazon.com slash Fire TV locked on to learn more today. Sarah, let's go into this as we continue our profile series here on RJ Harvey. Now the Broncos second round pick in a 2025 NFL draft here, I feel like when we get into these player profile series, a lot of people in Broncos country want to know what is the projection here for the depth chart? How might that work out? I would say this, the running back position right now, might be the trickiest one to try to put together

Starting point is 00:02:15 when we talk about the full picture of this room. But where do you estimate that Harvey's going to land? No pun intended there, right? Cody, with we got, you know, don't underestimate this running back room because Audrick estimate he's not to be underestimated. Maybe next time we will estimate him. No, I think that he's going to fit in wherever the Broncos, feel like, hey, this guy's going to get the most touches in the offense.

Starting point is 00:02:38 Last year, Javante Williams had 197 total touches, Jalilil McLaughlin, 137. So I think when you look at that breakdown from last year, it's probably not going to be the exact same, right? Because we hope and expect the Broncos to be better at running the football this year. And therefore, the backs should probably get more touches. However, I think that you're going to see R.J. Harvey leading the way in terms of overall touches within the offense. The Broncos and general manager George Payton specifically have talked about how they feel like Harvey has this untapped potential as a receiver. And they obviously believe that he

Starting point is 00:03:14 can be a difference maker for an offense that the offensive line has been graded exceptionally high when it comes to run blocking the last couple of years. And I think the Broncos are believing that it's the running backs that have been the problem. And it's been two years of sample, right? Javante over the last two years has really struggled. And so the Broncos move on from him. this off season. You get R.J. Harvey in the building. I feel like he's going to be that guy that leads this team in overall touches, regardless of where he lands on the depth chart. I'm very curious as well to see how Sean maneuvers the running back rotation this year, right? I think maybe we can give an early projection here. Do you think they'd carry three or four

Starting point is 00:03:54 running backs on their 53 man roster? I'm on the premise of saying, I think they carry three. But then again, if they like Blake Watson, I mean, remember they brought Blake Watson up to the 53 last year because some other teams were poking around trying to prime my way off the practice squad. I'm curious to see how this is going to formulate. But my thought here is like from you, like, do you see there being three or four here on the 53? I think there's going to be three plus a fullback, right? And then I like Blake Watson to take that third spot because look, Jilil

Starting point is 00:04:22 McLaughlin has not been discussed when it comes to this Joker position offensively. And neither has Tyler Bade. I think you and I both agree that if there's any holdover from last year's roster that had those Joker qualities, it was probably Blake Watson. And I can't help but feel the Broncos are excited about him. Well, one thing I want to highlight here, and obviously Sean Payton told us is at the end of the year press conference is that he doesn't necessarily believe in the bell cow in today's game, right?

Starting point is 00:04:48 Because obviously you have 17 regular season games soon to be in the next, I don't know, maybe two or three years, maybe 18 regular season games. And if you get into the postseason, that's added games in that standpoint there. And I think with the wear and tear, like Sean is one guy who uses, a variety of different services. He tracks players usage and wear and tear throughout the course of a practice, throughout the course of the entire week. Like he's a big believer in that because he doesn't want to put too many miles on these guys' bodies in terms of practice.

Starting point is 00:05:16 But also when you factor in games, the running back position, we all know, it absorbs the most content across the entire NFL. And it's one of those ones where it is boom or bust. Can you get to the outside, you know, can you make certain plays happen while trying to avoid being hit by linebackers and by safety. So I think that's something certainly to highlight here. But you mentioned like Javante's touches, Jalil's touches, Adricks touches last year.

Starting point is 00:05:41 I feel like a lot of the struggles at running backs here was because there was no continuity in an established rotation at running back, right? So for me, I think if we have to predict it right now, roster locks at this position, I think Audrake Estime is a roster lock. And I think R.J. Harvey is a roster lock. And I think you're going to have three or four other guys battling for that last spot there. And I think that's going to be exciting.

Starting point is 00:06:03 I think it was going to raise the floor of that room here. But you mentioned something about the grading of the offensive line. The Broncos had the offensive line graded as their highest graded unit internally by the team. That's something that George Payton said. The defensive line was second. And I think it goes to those issues that we saw. Like, when you go back and watch film, how many times did we see a hole open up or Javante not see it, not hit the hole? You know, we're not trust to have patience in that.

Starting point is 00:06:30 I look at RJ Harvey Harvey's college tape. And literally there's times where he's supposed to hit in the A gap and that whole closes because it's not blocked. He didn't have a great offensive line at UCF. But his vision and patience allowed him to make plays. And that's something that this Broncos offense has not had at the running back position in quite some time. And the hope is that RJ Harvey can come in and lead this for this team. Yeah, and you can't help but wonder with the concerted effort to get him the ball,

Starting point is 00:06:56 who stands to kind of not benefit from that, right? I mean, that's the other backs on this roster like Jalilil McLaughlin last year getting 137 touches, like we mentioned. It's crazy because his snap count and touches overall went up pretty significantly from his rookie year in 2023 when he was kind of the new, you know, the shiny undrafted free agent, the sleeper, the guy who's cracking the roster after a great preseason. His usage goes up and his yards per touch goes way, way down. He only finished with two additional yards from scrimmage last season compared to. to his rookie year, Cody, 572 last year, 570 the year prior. And again, even with the increase in overall touches, same number of touchdowns. And so I'm not trying to bag on Jalil McLaughlin or anything like that, but I do think that it's

Starting point is 00:07:44 important for us to talk about. There's going to be a ripple effect of adding even just one back to this roster. And that's one of the things I'm most shocked about is that Broncos add R.J. Harvey, they haven't added anybody else. And even if they add, you know, Captain America, Chris Evans, it doesn't matter who they end up adding to the roster. This is substantial. They won't make any more substantial move, barring an unexpected trade.

Starting point is 00:08:08 This is the guy. And everything that they're doing tells us what we can expect about this guy's role as a rookie. And I think a large of the mystery here that we're all trying to solve is, is this guy going to come in and he's going to get, you know, the starting reps? You know, you mentioned overall volume of snaps. I think where Arjit has an advantage here over Adrick is that I imagine that. I imagine that RJ is probably going to be more of a weapon as a pass catcher. Though I would say, Audrick Estimate might be a little underrated in that category.

Starting point is 00:08:36 Remember, there was this one play. I can't remember. It was against the Falcons. I think this was kind of in garbage time where there's a screenplay. I think Bo Nix dumps it off to Adrick out in the flat. He hurdles a defender. It gets called back because a defender for the Falcons was holding on to Boe Nix a little too long. And Garrett Bulls got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on necessary roughness.

Starting point is 00:08:58 15 yards. I still think that, man, the smash and dash combination that could be on display here for the Broncos, I think is a very distinct possibility. When you look at this running back room with these two guys here, I know the Broncos, they still believe a lot in Adrick Estimate. And I think that's what we're going to see, the emphasis early on in training camp.

Starting point is 00:09:17 Don't be surprised if he come out and Adrick's getting the first reps with the first team offense. And you're seeing RJ Harvey mixing with the second and 13, maybe here and they're the first team, but the same exact thing happened. with Bo Nix last season when the Broncos were going through their quarterback competition, there will be a running back competition. It's going to be extensive.

Starting point is 00:09:36 And RJ Harvey is going to have an opportunity to prove himself very early on here for the Broncos. But Broncos, you want to know your thoughts here on whether or not the RJ Harvey will lead the Broncos and overall touches this upcoming season. Make sure you share your thoughts with us here on today's episode of the show. But we're not done yet, Bracko's country. We still got a lot to break down in our player profile series. We're going to take a look at some of the noted strengths here. of R.J. Harvey, including his contact balance, his explosiveness and his vision, which could help

Starting point is 00:10:04 the Broncos offense take a step forward in the run department. We'll break that down much more on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. Did you know that your Fire TV is also an Xbox? I know, right? Crazy. You can turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices and no console is required. Just grab your paired controller, subscribe or sign into Xbox GamePass Ultimate with EA play included, and you're ready to go. And you can dive into hundreds of premium titles, including my favorites from EA, EA Sports College Football 25, and Jedi Survivor,

Starting point is 00:10:44 just as easily as you stream your favorite shows. Well, look, if you ever wanted to try playing out certain Xbox games, but you don't want to make the big time investment in going out there and spending on a console, well, this is perfect because the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K allows you to try those titles that are ever having to buy a console. You want to play EA Sports College Football 25, where you can play as Jadae Barron and the Texas Longhorns or RJ Harvey at UCF,

Starting point is 00:11:09 and you can have your own hands-on experience with seeing what these guys are going to bring to the table to the Denver Broncos in 2025. So head on to Amazon.com slash fire TV locked on to get started. Xbox GamePass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller are required, available on select devices, including Fire TV Stick 4K second generation, Fire TV stick 4K Max, first and second generation, and Fire TV Cube third generation.

Starting point is 00:11:38 Everything the Denver Broncos lacked at the running back position last year, RJ Harvey has in the strengths column. So Denver Broncos country, you are getting ready to have an absolute game changer added to this team, but what specifically does he have that the Broncos lacked last year that he's going to. going to be able to potentially contend for offensive rookie of the year. I'm going to throw it out there right now, Cody. I think RJ Harvey is going to be in the discussion this coming season.

Starting point is 00:12:05 But before we go any further, Broncos country, shout out to all of you that make us your first listen of the day every single day here at Lockdown Broncos. We appreciate you so much, especially you every dayers that we see you in the comments all the time. And if you're not already, go ahead, hit subscribe and become an everyday listener today. Cody, let's discuss the strengths of RJ Harvey. I kind of mentioned everything the Broncos lacked last year at the running back position. This guy has in spades.

Starting point is 00:12:32 And what did the Broncos lack last year? Well, Javante Williams really struggling with vision. Javante kind of struggling at times with the burst, the speed element. The Broncos didn't really have much of a home run threat at the position. And certainly when it comes to taking advantage of what the blocking is giving you, that was really missing last year. R.J. Harvey brings so much. to the table that this team desperately needed at running back.

Starting point is 00:12:59 You mentioned the vision there. I'll give you a game, for example. I was watching obviously UCF versus Iowa State. And I was a shootout of a game. I think UCF lost that one 38 to 35. But RJ Harvey had, I think 25 carries a buck 96 and two touchdowns in that game. And once again, just you mentioned that strength being vision. I also think you combine vision with patience.

Starting point is 00:13:22 He understands. I think he's patient at letting his blockers get out. out to a guy and anticipating, okay, if this is an offensive tackle, he may try to seal this guy, which gives me a chance to run into the outside. He's going to kick the guy out. It allows me to cut back inside almost nine times out of 10. I'm watching RJ Harvey, make an explosive cut and get vertical. He's getting away from defenders. And sometimes I think with Giovante last year, one of the issues that we did see. And I don't want this to be a show. We're trying to just bring down Giovante. We're just pointing out where the issue was and why the Broncos

Starting point is 00:13:53 upgraded this position with a guy like RJ Harvey. Harvey. But, Javante would run back inside two defenders and defenders would catch him. So that's what contributed really to his low yard per carries last season. I think it was one of his second worst or one of the worst of his career. The last couple of years, definitely it's been a struggle for Jvante to get those yards. But RJ with not as great of an offensive line is turning some of those plays where you're watching it from the end zone angle of the all 22. And you're saying to yourself, I don't see where his vision is going to be because this looks like it's going to get bottled up. and then all of a sudden he makes a jump cut and he gets north-south vertical and he takes it 14 yards or he takes it 75 yards for a touchdown.

Starting point is 00:14:33 That's what I like about RJ is that he has this home run potential, but he's got the traits that I think will keep you in the NFL for a decent amount of time. If you trust your blocks, which I think is the Broncos, if they're cemented in their belief that they believe that their offensive line is one of the best in the league and that it was a running back issue, was a personnel issue, then they think that RJ Harvey Harvey is going to accept. explode onto the scene here this upcoming season. That's one thing that stands out to me. I think contact balance is also another thing, Sarah. I mean, there are a couple of plays you saw against CU when they played there, but there's times where a defender hits him, wraps up around the legs, and somehow he still keeps his feet burning.

Starting point is 00:15:11 That's one thing I like in all. He can also play the Wildcat a little bit for you as well. There's a lot to like about RJ Harvey and the strengths that he brings to the table here. Yeah, and that's an interesting note there because he originally committed to Virginia. I know he said in his conference call after he was drafted that he committed to Virginia because they were one of the only schools that said, hey, you can play some quarterback for us. And that shifted very quickly because the vision from UCF was always to have him come in and play the running back position. So while he was, I think, a little disappointed things didn't work out at quarterback. I think he knew also that he could get into a situation where the NFL could be in his future as a running back.

Starting point is 00:15:49 And George Payton had such a fascinating comment about him after they picked. him, Cody. He said Harvey was kind of our pet cat throughout the process. He said, this is what the Broncos like about him. Okay. So running style, he's dynamic, really good vision, really good instincts, good contact balance, highly explosive. George said that they thought he had maybe the best vision in the draft. And he said, he said the thing that he led everyone with on their board was plus 10 runs. So I think that means that 10 or 10 or more yards. And we've talked about while he's been the best over the last two years at 15 plus yard runs. But the Broncos are even looking at, hey, 10 plus yard runs,

Starting point is 00:16:28 you throw him in that bucket as well. So with a guy like this, I think it's fascinating that the Broncos keep on saying that he wasn't featured in the passing game at UCF. And I think that's an important distinction there because it's not to say that he doesn't have good hands or it's not to say that he can't be featured in the passing game, but I think they see the vision there,

Starting point is 00:16:48 which we can kind of blend into strengths. weaknesses a little bit. I just feel like that's maybe the number one indicator right there, the explosiveness on these running plays and just being able to hit that whole hard with the, I mean, the 38 inch vertical, the 4-4 speed and the 40-yard dash. This guy is, he's low cut and he's explosive and he's somebody that can give you that pop when you desperately need it. All of a sudden, you see this guy disappear at the line of scrimmage, and then he's 15 yards down field because nobody can find him. I think that his size almost can be an advantage too, Cody. Well, I think also UCF's quarterback play was so up and down. I mean, they went through a couple

Starting point is 00:17:24 of guides. I'm not sure if that was due to injury, but I just know in all the games I was watching, I was seeing one guy number 10, then I'd see someone who's number 11, then I'd see as a guy, you know, a guy who's number 12. I'm thinking to myself, why are they going through all these different quarterbacks? Could have been injuries, bad play, whatever may be, but overall quarterback play was very inconsistent. They would do a lot of read option stuff with RJ Harvey when they had to take a more mobile prone quarterback who could get to the outside. But there were, was one game too, it was against CU where their quarterback fakes a QB draw. RJ Harvey runs out on a wheel route, pops it over wide open.

Starting point is 00:17:58 And look, the only guy that came close to catching him was Travis Hunter, who went second overall to obviously the Jacksonville Jaguars. But, I mean, you see the speed on display if the Broncos can get. And look, we saw Marvin Mims utilized as that back in the backfield that would run the wheel route, factor in like, what if you have Marvin and RJ Harvey in the backfield? And now it's saying, hey, we know we're getting a cover zero look here. These linebackers, they're going to have to cover these guys. That's an isolated matchup issue where Sean Payton can take advantage.

Starting point is 00:18:29 That's one thing that stands out. I think there's a lot still to develop in the passing game because of those things that you mentioned is that he really was their offense as a rusher. And, you know, he contributed out of the backfall. I believe he averaged around 13.5 yards per catch in 2024 at UCF. But the issue being that you had up and down quarterback play, teams would sell it. allowed to stop RJ Harvey and they still couldn't do it. That to me is what stands out about him. But Broncos country, what about some of the weaknesses that are being discussed?

Starting point is 00:18:57 He had a couple of fumbles at UCF. Is this an issue that carries forward into the NFL? We'll debate and discuss that here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Strengths, weaknesses, all of that are being discussed here about the Broncos' second round draft pick, RJ Harvey out of UCF, a guy who is an absolute piss missile out of the backfield as a pass catcher or even as a runner. He's a north-south phenom. And that's one thing that stands out. But are some of the issues or weaknesses here related to past protection or even sometimes ball security? We'll discuss all that here on today's episode. Locked on Broncos. Sarah,

Starting point is 00:19:34 I mean, I know as we continue to highlight RJ Harvey here, we look at every player of the Broncos draft, their strengths, their weaknesses, the ideal fit and projection on the depth chart. There's so many different things that you can go with, right? I think a lot of people when he was initially drafted. You saw a lot of people tweeting, why are the Broncos taking a guy who's five foot nine? That's not an issue at all for the Broncos. I think when you watch him play as well, five nine is not an issue, especially when he's 205 pounds. Now, if he was five nine and let's say 185, probably wouldn't be sustainable to have him or it would, I think, be a little bit more of a questionable pick. Five nine, two oh five is not questionable to me, but your thoughts on the

Starting point is 00:20:12 size, uh, weakness that people are talking about. I mean, take a look at a picture of this guy. He doesn't miss leg day. You see this guy. I mean, he's, he's 205 pounds, Cody. I guarantee you the dude can push, you know, more than double that on a squat rack. I think he's obviously got tremendous lower body strength. So I'm not worried about the size, but you talk about the fumbles and I think maybe hand size potentially coming into play. I don't want to diminish the idea that ball security could be an issue. But I also have to acknowledge that just like with Audrick Estab, May last year, there are times that you are willing to live with some of these things. You don't want a running back to go out there and get the yips. I think that happened to Devante Booker, for those who remember when he came out of Utah's biggest steal the Broncos had in that, what, 2016 draft or whatever? And fumbles. Or scary. Yeah. And it's just like, okay, the guy's got the yips. And he couldn't recover from it. I mean, right? And Monte Ball, unfortunately, I think had the yips after fumbling the

Starting point is 00:21:14 ball. So that's the biggest concern that I have with fumbles is running backs getting the yips out there. And for those have no idea what I'm talking about with the yips. It's like, okay, you fumbled the ball. Now all of a sudden you're not able to do what you're good at because you're constantly worried about fumbling the ball. You have to still be able to go out there and play the game with better ball security. You know, we saw Melvin Gordon. I think when he got to the Denver Broncos, Cody, I think he was just like, screw it. I'm going to do whatever I need to do to make plays. and ball security, you know, that went back to the wayside for him. And it was a huge problem because he's a veteran back.

Starting point is 00:21:49 I think you're willing a little bit more to live with that for younger guys, but also that will reflect on Sean and George because they didn't take any measures to get somebody with better ball security. I've seen some people say that RJ's got some Melvin Gordon explosiveness to him, which I find to be interesting. And I think it's very valid when you watch him. Let's go through his career, right? Okay, so in 2022, this was the year that he tore his ACA,

Starting point is 00:22:12 three fumbles, two of them lost. 2023 coming off the ACL, he had three fumbles. He lost all three of those. Last year he had three fumbles, only lost one of them, though. So I think, you know, that's obviously one thing they're going to emphasize is, hey, ball security. That's a number one thing. But I always think it's interesting to look at his production in 2022 and 13 games played. Think of it this way, sir, 118 total rushing attempts, right?

Starting point is 00:22:39 So almost in half what he essentially did. in 2023, also cut in half what he did really in 2024 because he had 226. Overall carries in 2023, 22 in 2024. But look at it this way. His rushing attempts per game, he would have nine rushing attempts and he'd have around 6.7 yards per carry at that point. That right there is a little nuts. Now that increased to 17, it increased to 19 over the last couple of years.

Starting point is 00:23:07 But with his minimal touches, 2022, his rushing output was 790. yards on 118 total carries. Now you go to 1,400 yards on 226. Even in 2022, and it wasn't his best output, that was still pretty impressive numbers he was putting up. He had five TDs on the ground. So I think one of the things that people are talking about there in terms of maybe some of his weaknesses,

Starting point is 00:23:31 we talked about the past catching game there. I noticed like there was a game against CU where I felt like he had a concentration drop, you know, it was on third down. He runs a little bit of an angle route, sits in the middle. and he's just looking upfield before he looks at the ball in, that's a drop. That to me is not really an issue.

Starting point is 00:23:49 That happens to every player. There's no trend of it when you watch his tape of that really being something you need to be worrying about. So for me, I think that's a little bit of a harp that people are kind of throwing on him. Obviously, with that size at 5 foot 9, I think probably the biggest thing people are talking about

Starting point is 00:24:05 is pass protection going to be an issue. Can he pass pro? In the games that I've seen, he can pass pro, I just think so much of it is, are they leaking him out or are they keeping him to play A gap, B gap and then protect backside at times. Depends so much on the play call, but he's got the ability to pass pro. Yeah, and that's going to be essential for him getting more and more.

Starting point is 00:24:25 Like what we're talking about the first segment, getting the lead on this Denver Broncos offense in total touches. You've got to be able to pass protect out there. I was going to ask you this question too, Cody, because I'm not necessarily an offensive coordinator or anything like that. I mean, I love the game. I'm not, I never really played beyond high school. But if you're,

Starting point is 00:24:47 if you're an offensive coordinator trying to kind of, you know, help a guy along in terms of, hey, this guy struggles in past pro. How can we sort of mitigate that problem? Is, can the Broncos run more RPO's offensively to sort of, you know, give that in a way a little bit boost forward or make it so that it's not necessarily

Starting point is 00:25:07 that big of a weakness? Like, If they're in the shotgun and RJ Harvey's out there, they're not necessarily giving it a way that they're going to be throwing the ball in that instance because he's running a route, I guess is maybe the better way to put that. So can you utilize RPO's to keep defenses from blitzing you constantly? Or is that not necessarily, are those two things mutually exclusive? No, I don't think they're mutually exclusive.

Starting point is 00:25:31 I think you can certainly run RPO's. I mean, the key every time for the quarterback is when they get out there pre-snap, whether you're in shotgun, whether you're under center. you're reading a certain guy. And if he does something on the snap or if he's aligned in a certain way, like you're recognizing the coverage, let's say it's own coverage and you're running an RPO. Ideally, let's say that you're trying to run the number two receiver on a slant route, right? And that's going to be your RPO read.

Starting point is 00:25:55 If that linebacker is coming forward, then you're pulling and you're throwing the slant there to the number two receiver. Whereas, hey, if that linebacker stays on it off and we're running outside zone or we're trying to get to the outside or cutting inside the C gap, whatever it may be, those are some things that you can do. But realistically speaking, you can work with a guy who's 5 foot 9 in pass protection because here's the thing, he's got 205 pounds of him. And I would even guess that he may even put on two or three pounds going into training camp. I don't know where the Broncos are going to have him specifically. I know Sean is very big on guys being at a certain playing weight at various positions.

Starting point is 00:26:30 But the thing is, is like it's drastically different than Jalil McLaughlin in past protection because Jalil, as you know, has a leaner frame. He's skinnier than RJ Harvey. So you wonder how that's going to hold up. That was a valid gripe with Philip Lindsay as well when he was a member of the Broncos is canny pass pro. That wasn't necessarily always the case. So you have a guy who's bulkier, stockier, who can get low mass. You know, what is saying?

Starting point is 00:26:55 Football, the lower man wins. RJ Harvey, I don't think pass protection is going to be an issue for him. But I think it's going to have to be something he works on, as does every single other running back that's on this roster. Yeah, I think that's something that's going to be. worth monitoring for. I just don't know who else provides that, right? I mean, he's going to have to learn it because it's not like, I mean, I know Jolilil improved in that last year, but it's not like Jal McLaughlin or Tyler Badegh or

Starting point is 00:27:20 Blake Watson are all, hey, this is the Hall of Fame past protection film that you want to watch. I'm not, it can be learned. So if those guys can do it, then R.J. Harvey can do it. And it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Because Duvante Williams, to his credit, that was probably what he became. and we knew that he was good at that coming out of North Carolina as well, a former linebacker. He likes cracking face masks, and he likes busting people up and pass pro, and that's going to

Starting point is 00:27:48 serve him well in the NFL, and I think that will serve any of these backs well. But I'm fascinated to see, Cody, how all these potential weaknesses can be flipped on their head. You look at RJ Harvey. There's a lot of talk about vision, contact balance, his ability to create something out of nothing, while it's a great strength of his, I think that a lot of times, too, you get a little bit of the Leveon Bell sort of syndrome

Starting point is 00:28:13 when you're in between the tackles, kind of what people would say, dancing around a little bit, and you see him out there, kind of trying to create, but also not necessarily always bursting with that explosiveness that we see. He's kind of waiting for things to develop.

Starting point is 00:28:29 I think that can be both a strength and a weakness at times at the NFL. If you're just, if you're always looking to dance around and do those sorts of things, it's one thing. But if you're selective with it, that can be a huge area of strength for him. Yeah, and I'll say maybe the one benefit is, you know, not playing on a great offensive line. You know, at UCF is that a lot of times when he was supposed to go inside, it never materialized because defenses would kind of plug the A gap. And then he was forced to bounce it outside.

Starting point is 00:28:54 At the NFL level, we know you're going to face more disciplined defenses. I mean, it's such a jump. You know, every year we have these conversations. You see it on social media about, you know, the worst NFL team and the best college team. Could the best college team beat the worst NFL team? No, the NFL, there's a reason it is one of the hardest professions in all of football. I mean, because there's just a different level of discipline. There's a different level of just, I would say, defensive prowess where even if you have a bad defense,

Starting point is 00:29:22 that bad defense can be studs one game. Like, who is the team that the Broncos faced this year that had the worst rushing defense in the NFL? Was it the Indianapolis Colts, if I'm not mistaken? It could have been the Colts. Yeah, that sounds right. And they couldn't run the ball against them. Denver couldn't. Denver couldn't get it going. And I remember even like two years ago, 2023, the Minnesota Vikings had one of the worst rushing offenses in all of football. Yet they

Starting point is 00:29:45 were exploding against the Broncos who had one of the best run defenses at that time going into that Sunday night football matchup. So really it's like the NFL is just a different animal. You have better players and you're facing NFL caliber players. Whereas on college, like, you know, and here's the thing for RJ Harvey. He wasn't always facing NFL caliber players, but people want to use that as a negative where I'll also say if he struggled against some of those teams, then the critique would even be worse. So it's a lose, lose situation. For me, I think you have to have balance with patience inside the hole. I know the idea that Sean Payton wants is to get north-south quickly. And I think that's the number one thing that

Starting point is 00:30:22 I see on tape that RJ Harvey does consistently is even if he bounces it out on one play, he doesn't bounce it out and ride it all the way to the sideline. He'll bounce it out just to create some space because he's got good speed. He'll plant his foot in the turf and then he'll step and get north very, very quickly to get positive yards. And I think that's an element the Broncos simply didn't have last year. I think Audrake estimates a great kind of, I think, peace to kind of play off of here for RJ.

Starting point is 00:30:49 So I'm excited to see these two guys work. We'll see who that third run back is going to be this season. But overall, not a lot of weaknesses, you know, with the player like Harvey that you're like, ah, this is concerning. There's not a lot that stands out on tape. So I think that's a good sign here for the Denver Broncos. But Broncos country with that said, that'll wrap up our profile series here on R.J. Harvey, the Broncos second round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Starting point is 00:31:14 Monday's episode, we're going to continue that trend. We're going to dive deep into Pat Bryant, one of the more controversial pickups, according to the Broncos country in the NFL draft. But if you turn on the tape, you're going to see some exciting things. That's got me, aunt, that's got Sarah Bedinger app, that's why he can have an impact right away inside the Broncos. We'll get to that much more on Monday's episode. Lockdown Broncos.

Starting point is 00:31:35 We'll see you then.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - RJ Harvey COULD SOLVE Denver Broncos' Running Back Struggles

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