Broncos Announce Jersey Numbers for 2025 Draft Class

Remove the 1, and Barron's jersey number is the same as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Patrick Surtain II's. A positive harbinger of what's to come between those two vaunted cornerbacks.

Barron rocked No. 7 at Texas, but as all Broncos fans know, that number is off limits. Few Broncos cornerbacks have worn the No. 12 (the last being Mike Ford in 2021), but multiple quarterbacks through team annals have rocked it. The last Bronco to wear No. 12 was linebacker Kwon Alexander last season, but he's no longer with the team.

Harvey will start with No. 37, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him end up with a different number once the dust settles on all of the roster cuts later this summer. Last year, fifth-round running back Audric Estime was also assigned No. 37, but after a few rounds of cuts, he ended up with No. 23 as his permanent number.

Then again, Harvey could hold onto No. 37, because it reflects the No. 7 he wore at UCF. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the number, although the last two rookies to be assigned it ultimately changed it — Estime and cornerback Riley Moss (2023).

The last Broncos wideout to wear No. 13 was David Sills, preceded by Phillip Dorsett. Before that, it was sported by 2020 second-round pick KJ Hamler, who eventually switched to No. 1 before he was cut. Even though Bryant rocked the No. 13 at Illinois, it's still a relatively virgin number for a Broncos wideout, so there's plenty of room to build his own legend.

Williams wore No. 35 at LSU, but he'll rock the No. 95 as a Bronco, which is quite fitting for an interior defensive lineman. Former Broncos second-rounder and Super Bowl 50 champion Derek Wolfe made No. 95 famous in the Mile High City, so Williams will have some numerical legacy to live up to.

Robinson takes No. 51, and the greatest Bronco to ever wear that number is former linebacker John Mobley, who won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver back in the late '90s. We're still not sure exactly what the Broncos' vision for Robinson is, but for now, he's projected to be an edge defender and a four-core special-teamer.

No punter has ever worn the No. 39 in Denver, so it's brand-new territory to command for Crawshaw. Crawshaw will face off in an open competition with recent veteran addition Matt Haack for punter supremacy.

The last Bronco to wear No. 84 was wideout Lil'Jordan Humphrey the past two seasons, but he signed with the New York Giants in March, only to be released the same day that Lohner was assigned his old jersey number. The No. 84, especially for a tight end, has legendary, Hall-of-Fame juju, having been the primary number of the great Shannon Sharpe.

Fans of the era will remember that Sharpe's original number was No. 81. He changed it to honor his brother, Sterling Sharpe, whose NFL career was cut short due to a freak neck injury. Both brothers are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Only three Denver jersey numbers are retired: No. 7 (John Elway), No. 18 (Frank Tripucka), and No. 44 (Floyd Little). The Tripucka family was kind enough to grant a special dispensation to Peyton Manning, who was given permission to wear his traditional No. 18 during his four-year tenure with the Broncos (2012-15). It was reinstalled back in the rafters at Empower Field at Mile High after Manning helped win Super Bowl 50 before riding off into the sunset of retirement.

It'll be interesting to see how and if the Broncos' 2025 rookie draft class can contribute to the legacy each jersey number holds. In some cases, the rookies have a chance to create a legacy for the more unheralded numbers, like 12, 37, 13, and 39.

Join the most passionate fanbase in Broncos Country by connecting with Denver Broncos On SI/Mile High Huddle on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and subscribe on YouTube for daily live-stream podcasts!