Denver Broncos 2025 NFL Mock Draft

The Broncos desperately need a running back, and take one here early with North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton. It is the team’s biggest and clearest need, making it the most likely position addressed in the first round. Assuming Paton does not trade up, Hampton will presumably be the best player on the board once he makes his pick at No. 20.

At various points in the 2024 season, the Broncos turned to Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. None of them worked consistently. The team needs a new life in the backfield, particularly with Williams leaving in free agency. Hampton, who racked up 3,164 rushing yards over the past two seasons, has the ideal combination of size, physicality and vision to be the definitive answer. He does not have the speed of some other prospects in the class, but he is the clear No. 2 option behind Ashton Jeanty.

Round 2, Pick 51: DT T.J. Sanders (South Carolina)

With Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers entering contract years, the Broncos could need some help up front sooner rather than later. The team re-signed D.J. Jones in free agency, but the veteran nose tackle just celebrated his 30th birthday and coming off a one-sack season in 2024, his fewest since 2018. If Paton wants to get ahead of this potential future issue, South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders is the type of prospect who seems tailor-made for the Denver organization.

After boasting one of the best defensive lines in the league in 2024, Sanders fits the mold of the exact type of physical presence Payton loves to deploy in the middle. In his final two seasons at South Carolina, Sanders tallied 94 tackles, five batted passes and 8.5 sacks. As good as his pass-rushing numbers were, he is best known for his run-stopping prowess at the heart of the defense.

Round 3, Pick 85: TE Terrance Ferguson (Oregon)

The Broncos signed Evan Engram in free agency, but still need to add another tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft. Though Engram is just two years removed from a career-high, 963-yard season, the injury woes that plagued his entire career returned in 2024, limiting him to just nine listless outings. Engram will further turn 31 in September, an ominous sign for a player whose game revolves around his speed and athleticism.

Denver still has Adam Trautman on the roster, but can add another receiving threat with Nix’s former college teammate, Terrance Ferguson. As Oregon’s all-time positional leader in receptions and receiving yards, Ferguson has clear pre-existing chemistry with Nix and is arguably the most athletic tight end in the draft. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash time of any of his peers at the NFL Combine. The Broncos take Ferguson in the third round of this 2025 NFL mock draft, and hopefully do the same in Green Bay.

Round 4, Pick 122: WR Tory Horton (Colorado State)

Perhaps as much as they need a running back, the Broncos also need to add receivers in the draft. Devaughn Vele and Marvin Mims Jr. showed promise in 2024, but Denver can only truly get the most out of Nix by giving him adequate weapons. While Nix is content with the receiving room he currently has to work with, his top weapon, Courtland Sutton, is seemingly entering a contract year, barring an upcoming extension.

The question marks at receiver could cause the Broncos to address the position earlier, but they do so in the fourth round of this 2025 NFL mock draft. Depending on the actual options available, Tory Horton would be a home run hit for any team in the fourth round. Though he lacks the top-end size and speed to be a true high-level prospect, Horton’s crisp route-running and sticky hands rival any other pass-catcher in the class. Before injuries shortened his 2024 campaign, Horton posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Round 6, Pick 191: LB Kobe King (Penn State)

With their first of three sixth-round picks, the Broncos take Penn State linebacker Kobe King in this 2025 NFL mock draft. Though he is a bit on the slower side, King’s elite tackling and physicality make him a great fit in any 3-4 defense, much like the system Vance Joseph runs in Denver. Having improved on his numbers each year, King ended his collegiate career with 97 tackles in 2024, earning a spot on the second-team All-Big 10 roster.

By signing Dre Greenlaw in the offseason , the Broncos are set at linebacker for the time being. But beyond Greenlaw, incumbent starters Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad prepare for the final year of their current deals. Denver does not have much depth behind Greenlaw, Singleton and Strnad, particularly with 2023 third-round pick Drew Sanders largely disappointing in his first two seasons. In this sixth round, King is the type of high-upside player who will fit the George Paton mold.

Round 6, Pick 197: WR Pat Bryant (Illinois)

The Broncos’ need for a receiver will likely cause Paton to use more than one pick on the position. As such, Denver takes Illinois’ Pat Bryant in the sixth round of this 2025 NFL mock draft. With just 2,095 receiving yards through four years in college, Bryant does not have the eye-popping numbers to place him higher on scouts’ lists, but he has more than enough to make him worth a late-round flier.

Bryant does not have the desired speed of an NFL wideout, but the hands on his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame are enough to warrant a roster spot on any team. He might never develop into a starter, but Bryant has the potential to grow into a reliable high-point target for a young quarterback like Nix to lean on. In the sixth round, the Broncos could do worse than adding a low-risk, high-reward player to their lacking receiving corps.

Round 6, Pick 208: C Jake Majors (Texas)

Denver is one of the few teams in the league that does not have any major holes to address in its offensive line. After giving Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz lucrative deals in 2024, the Broncos set themselves up in that aspect for years to come. Yet, if there is one hole to poke in their blocking unit, it is with injury-prone center Luke Wattenberg. When he is on the field, Wattenberg is as strong a piece as any of his four teammates, but he has yet to play a full season in his three-year career.

Texas center Jake Majors was hidden from scouts on a line that featured tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Cameron Williams. But as durable and reliable as any center in college football, he was the crucial anchor of the Longhorns’ elite blocking unit. Majors does not have any traits that will dazzle anybody, but he is a beacon of consistency at a position that requires that value more than most. Adding Majors would be no immediate threat to Wattenberg, but he is as solid a player as Paton can find in the sixth round and would be an excellent backup to start his career.