PFF Mocks New Weapon to Broncos at No. 20 Overall

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren...

The NFL draft is just under two months away, but the mock drafts and players projected to the Denver Broncos have become a tad repetitive and monotonous. The Broncos have obvious holes at running back and tight end.

However, picking as far down the draft as the Broncos are, there's a level of volatility and variance that comes with the territory that most mocksters seem to be leaning away from at this point in the process regarding the No. 20 overall pick.

The Broncos are hunting for weaponry so instead of a running back or tight end, could a wide receiver be in play at 20? This is not a banner year for the position overall, compared to the standard crop of pass-catchers in any given draft class, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be one who is evaluated incorrectly and winds up a superstar.

Furthermore, with Courtland Sutton entering the last year of his contract and a crop of unknowns behind him, adding another playmaker beyond just tight end and running back should be part of the discussion at this point in time.

That’s what Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman projects in his latest mock draft. With Warren, Jeanty, and Loveland all off the board (and the Broncos getting leapfrogged for Jeanty by the Chargers moving up to 16 and Loveland with the Rams jumping up to 19), Wasserman has Denver standing pat and taking Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.

"Denver ranked 24th in explosive pass play rate this past season, so Burden could be an answer to that problem as both a deep threat and a dynamic receiver after the catch," Wasserman wrote. "The Broncos ran screen passes at the third-highest rate in the NFL in 2024, and Burden led all Power Four wide receivers with a 91.3 PFF receiving grade on such plays over the past two years."

Burden entered the 2024 season as a consensus top-half-of-the-first-round talent. He was a highly regarded recruit out of St. Louis and chose his home-state Tigers.

In 2023, Burden had a spectacular season, compiling 83 receptions and 1,194 yards with eight touchdowns. Unfortunately, 2024 was not as spectacular for Burden, with his stats dropping to 61 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns.

Burden is an electric athlete with the ball in his hands and has a fairly well-built frame similar to a running back at 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds. He primarily played in the slot for Mizzou but does have the skills to play the Z spot as well.

Burden displays solid hands and a fine ability to track the football as well. Missouri mostly schemed him touches and let him make plays but his athletic profile indicates there is more there.

Despite the solid frame, Burden did not always play with physicality at the position. He was not often asked to release off press and his blocking ability from the slot was below average far too often.

Due to the offensive scheme, Burden is a relative unknown and likely a work in progress as a route runner. He could very easily wind up the best wide receiver in the 2025 class given his traits, but his profile nearly directly overlaps that of ascending Broncos receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (acknowledging that Burden possesses a much better frame at nearly 30 pounds heavier).

The Broncos could go with Burden at 20 should the known names be snatched up by the time they're on the clock, but a few players listed later in the mock, such as wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, defensive linemen Kenneth Grant and Shemar Stewart, might make more sense if Denver stays and picks at 20 with talent available in this mock.

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