Broncos' Biggest Losers of the 2025 NFL Draft

In the wake of the NFL draft, the time will soon come to start projecting the Denver Broncos' 53-man roster. A lot can happen between now and when the Broncos' final roster cuts come in late August or early September, but the draft created much thinner ice for a few players.

Let’s examine the Broncos' biggest losers of the 2025 draft.

Ja’Quan McMillian | CB

The Broncos didn’t draft Jahdae Barron 20th overall for him to sit this year and provide depth across the secondary. He was drafted to be a starter, and his best spot is the nickel, which means McMillian is poised to lose his job, and he could even be trade bait during training camp. 

As always, the Broncos could decide to keep McMillian as a depth player, especially with the injuries they've dealt with in the secondary and how badly that hurt them to close out the 2024 season. While McMillian can’t play the boundary, Barron can, which could allow McMillian step back into the slot.

Either way, if the Broncos keep him or move him, McMillian likely lost his starting job the moment they chose to draft Barron. 

Drew Sanders | LB

There are questions about Sanders’ ability to pick things up on defense. He has struggled to find a home at linebacker and edge, but he has shown up well on special teams.

On defense, Sanders has done well when blitzing through the A-gap. Special teams and A-gap blitzing? Well, that's what Que Robinson can do. 

No matter what the Broncos did, this was a make-or-break year for Sanders to finally start putting everything together. The Broncos sent a clear message to Sanders with the drafting of Robinson, who could come in and replace what the young veteran is currently bringing to the roster.

Sanders either steps up, or he will likely be let go either in a cut or trade when it comes time to get down to the 53-man roster. 

Jordan Jackson | DL

Jackson wasn’t a great depth piece for the Broncos last year, and they were significantly worse whenever he was on the field. The Broncos saw it as a spot that needed upgrading, and they did that with the addition of third-rounder Sai’vion Jones, whom they traded up to get.

While Jackson was the third man in the rotation, he's now competing for a roster spot with Eyioma Uwazurike and Matt Henningsen. Jones is third in the 3-4 defensive end rotation behind John Franklin-Myers and Zach Allen.

Denver likes to keep four, with a minimal role for that fourth one, and Jackson has a chance to end up there. Even so, he went from having a roster spot to being in a competition situation.

Matt Haack | P

Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi worked with Haack before, but the coach got his hand-picked punter in the draft in Jeremy Crawshaw. While most Day-3 picks aren’t locks to make the team, that isn’t true of specialists.

The punting job is Crawshaw's, and Haack will be let go at some point between now and the start of the season. 

Lucas Krull | TE

Krull was supposed to be an athletic receiving tight end who would help change the Broncos' passing game, but his impact was minimal outside of a handful of plays. When you add his terrible blocking, he was more of a liability for the offense than a boost.

Sean Payton saw an athletic tight end he coveted in Calen Lohner out of Utah, who had only 57 snaps of college football. Lohner is raw but athletic, and the new pet project is to develop at a tight end, which puts Krull's time in Denver on a countdown. 

Damarri Mathis | CB

Mathis is here for many of the same reasons as McMillian, except there is no apparent reason to keep Mathis with the addition of Barron. Where is there space for Mathis?

The Broncos have Patrick Surtain II, Barron, and Riley Moss as your top three. 2024 fifth-rounder Kris Abrams-Draine is one of their primary backups, and then there are aforementioned questions about McMillian's outlook. 

Mathis, a former fourth-round pick, carries a $3.6 million salary cap hit, and parting ways would free up $3.4 million against the salary cap. The Broncos aren't likely to keep him around at that cost as the sixth defensive back in the room.

Barron’s drafting pushed Mathis off the roster, with his cost already serving as a harbinger that doesn’t stick around on the roster into the season.