Broncos' Receiving Corps Gets Surprising 2025 Ranking via PFF

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the potential of the Denver Broncos' young wide receiver room. The only proven receiver the Broncos have is Courtland Sutton, and while Trent Sherfield is a veteran, he's more of a special teams player.

Sutton and Sherfield are the only two in the room with more than three years of NFL experience. But the Broncos have a lot of potential in their younger and inexperienced receivers, but significant growth is needed to reach it.

That's why adding a veteran pass-catcher like tight end Evan Engram was so vital to the offense. That relative inexperience is why it should come as no surprise to see the Broncos' receiver corps ranked where they are this year at Pro Football Focus.

PFF's Trevor Sikkema ranked the Broncos' wideouts 22nd in the NFL, which is perhaps even a little higher than expected, and eight spots higher than where he had them this time in 2024.

“The Broncos earned a team 67.7 PFF receiving grade in 2024, which ranked just 28th in the NFL. But their outlook is better for 2025. Courtland Sutton still leads the way after posting a 77.0 PFF receiving grade last season, and DeVaughn Vele and Marvin Mims Jr. earned 70.0-plus marks, too," Sikkema wrote. "The arrow is pointing up for Denver. The team also added tight end Evan Engram, whose potential to be a 100-target player will be a welcome piece of the puzzle after Lucas Krull led all Broncos tight ends with just 23 targets in 2024."

No doubt, Vele put together a better season than expected as a 2024 seventh-round pick, which has led to high expectations for 2025. Vele was the most productive seventh-round rookie receiver since Marques Colston in 2006. After a debut like that, which he followed with an impressive 2025 offseason, it's easy to see why he's favored to be the No. 2 receiver behind Sutton. 

As for Mims, he has shown his value as a gadget on offense, as well as being an All-Pro punt and kick returner over the first two years of his career. The question with Mims is whether he can become more than a gadget receiver for the Broncos. The team needs him to develop beyond that kind of role and usage for the offense.

Sikkema didn't even mention rookie Pat Bryant, the second-year Troy Franklin, or Sherfield. However, each of those three receivers received a lot of hype throughout the offseason training program, and each one is needed for different roles in the offense. 

However, Sikkema is ranking the receiving corps, not just the wideouts, which includes the tight ends, and Engram does help lift the room. Last year, in nine games, Engram had 47 catches on 62 targets for 365 yards and a single touchdown by himself, while the Broncos' tight ends had a combined 48 catches on 59 targets for 459 yards and five scores on what adds up to 50 games. As long as Engram can stay healthy, most of that tight end production, and more, will go his way. 

Engram is going to help the Broncos' passing offense with his ability to create mismatches, and add another reliable veteran piece with Sutton, which is what carries the unit to the 22nd ranking in Sikkema's estimation.

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The Broncos still have potential for more with their young receivers and could easily jump into the top 15, but that potential needs to be realized on the field for that to happen. For now, being the 22nd-ranked receiving corps is a fair placement for Denver.