Broncos' Draft Class Earns Strikingly High NFL RAS Ranking

Did the Denver Broncos come out of the 2025 NFL draft as “winners?" Will Denver's picks play above their draft slots? Or did the Broncos reach?

In truth, the results of each draft pick will take years to verify, if Denver picked the right players. Beyond players selected in the first round, most of the time, the true return on investment with each pick is a few years down the road from their rookie season.

Broncos rush linebacker Nik Bonitto, the last pick in the second round of the 2022 draft, produced up-and-down play before bursting onto the scene in his third season. He's a prime example of this.

Some positions tend to take longer to turn the corner, even as first-round picks, such as tight ends and linebackers, while others, like running back, are mostly ready to go in Year 1, no matter where in the draft they fall. For the most part, though, it will be years from now until we can truly evaluate the Broncos' read on the players they targeted and be hindsight GMs on players they bypassed.

While it will take time to evaluate just how good Denver’s draft class is, one thing we do know is that the team landed a group of athletes. According to Pro Football Network, Denver walked away with the eighth-highest relative athletic score class from the 2025 draft.

"Each of the Denver Broncos' first four selections qualified for an RAS grade, and they all have some enticing athletic traits. Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, the Jim Thorpe Award winner, is on the smaller side, but he's good to great in every other category. He clocked an impressive 4.39 in the 40-yard dash," PFN wrote. "Central Florida's RJ Harvey is massively undersized for the running back position, but he makes up for it with high-end explosiveness and speed (10'7" broad jump, 4.40 40).
LSU defensive end Sai'vion Jones had the highest grade in the class (9.20). He's an imposing physical presence, standing 6'5 1/4", 280 pounds. Jones also recorded a 9'11 broad jump and an impressive 1.59 10-yard split."