The Broncos' owners, executives, general manager, and head coach all traveled down to Palm Beach, Florida, for the annual league meetings. During these meetings, general manager George Paton met with the media and had some interesting things to say about their plan for running back during the draft.
Paton told reporters that it’s a strong running back class that features different flavors throughout the draft. He continued by saying you can get a good back in the second round up all the way to the sixth round, and finished by saying “We’ll get a running back in this draft”.
“It’s a strong class. There are different flavors throughout the draft. I think you can get a good back in the second round up and all the way to the sixth round. That’s how it is. There’s just so many of them. The first and second down power back, you have the change of pace, you have the third down and you have the three down. [There are] not as many three-down backs, but it’s a good class. We’ll get a [running] back in this draft.”
None of this is really breaking news but the Broncos' general manager coming out and confirming it all is noteworthy. The team saw former second-round pick Javonte Williams leave in free agency and sign with the Cowboys and they have not added to their running back room as of yet. That leaves Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Tyler Badie, and Blake Watson as the only backs on the Broncos roster currently. None of the four have really proven they can be a starting running back in the NFL, so the Broncos are expected to draft at least one back sometime in the first two rounds of the draft.
Paton saying you can find a back anywhere from the second to sixth round of the draft was also noteworthy. Does that mean they’re not considering a back in the first round? Was it just a vague comment or was Paton being calculated with what he was saying to throw teams off from their plans? Hard to say after they fooled many into thinking J.J. McCarthy was their guy when Sean Payton was all-in on Bo Nix. It’s lying season so it’s hard to say right now.
With that said, what Paton said was indeed accurate. You can find good and talented backs anywhere in the draft. Alvin Kamra was a third-round selection by Payton with the Saints, and he turned out alright. This is a loaded draft class with many different flavors of backs in this draft, so they will have plenty of opportunities to add to their running back room.
Some backs the Broncos may consider in the early rounds of the draft include UNC’s Omarion Hampton, Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, and Kansas State’s D.J. Giddens. Some other backs they may consider in the mid to late rounds are Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, Kansas’s Devin Neal, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson, SMU’s Brashard Smith, Syracuse’s LeQuint Allen, and many others in this talented and deep running back class.
We have known that the Broncos will draft a running back. However, the question is when and which running back(s) will they select in the 2025 NFL Draft?