Examining the Broncos' Most Commonly Mocked Player at No. 20 Overall

Just a few weeks into the full swing of NFL draft season, the Denver Broncos have an emerging favorite for their No. 20 overall pick.
With Denver’s depth chart having glaring holes at running back, linebacker, and tight end at this point in the offseason and a fanbase starved for better weaponry to help Bo Nix going into Year 2, the prognosticators seem to be circling in on one specific player in their mocks: Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.
This is true for two recent mocks from NFL.com’s draft analysts Eric Edholm and Lance Zierlein. The Broncos could go any number of directions picking as late as they are in Round 1 and the draft being two-plus months away, but matching the talent available with the Broncos' roster needs and Sean Payton's desires to find a flexible weapon to attack the middle of the field and pick on linebackers in coverage makes sense.
“It would spice up the AFC West a bit if Sean Payton were to snipe Jim Harbaugh's former tight end at Michigan. Denver needs weapons, and Loveland could be a special one for Bo Nix," Edholm wrote of his mock selection of Loveland to Denver.
Zierlien agrees.
“Building around Bo Nix should be the priority in Denver. Adding an athletic pass catcher with good size like Loveland could be high on the Broncos’ list of priorities," Zierlein wrote.
The fit and mock should not be surprising for Broncos Country, as according to NFL Mock Draft Database, Loveland is projected to Denver at No. 20 overall on a whopping 23% of mocks. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren comes in second at 16%, but given the post-Senior Bowl hype surrounding the Nittany Lion, one might expect Warren to be selected closer to the top 10 and well before the Broncos go on the clock.
The Broncos have to find better options for Nix in the pass game so an early pick on tight end makes sense on the surface. However, the 2025 draft class is extraordinarily deep at tight end, as was on display at the Senior Bowl.
Miami’s Elijah Arroyo, LSU’s Mason Taylor, and Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. all had a good week to varying degrees and should be Day 2 options should Denver miss out on a tight end in Round 1. Texas’ Gunner Helm and Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson could also hear their names called Day 2.
Loveland is a very intriguing prospect, though. Still a young player, he's a nuanced enough route runner with explosiveness and quickness before the catch to stress coverage both vertically and horizontally.
Loveland isn't a weapon as an inline tight end but does enough to be competent as a run blocker. He would be best utilized as an 'F' tight end paired with a more blocking-oriented 'Y' in-line.
As a receiver, Loveland often won his rep this past season but was let down by Michigan’s abysmal passing game and quarterback play. The main caveat with Warren, other than playing the devalued tight end position, is that despite being athletic before the catch, those traits never manifested into a yards-after-catch weapon.
Ranking fairly low in yards after the catch, as well as missed tackles forced, Loveland’s stats in these two categories, specifically, should raise some eyebrows in projecting his value to the NFL.
Still, the Broncos need to find weapons to pair with their already strong offensive line and support Nix. Loveland is a viable option for Denver at 20 at this point in the offseason draft cycle, but time will tell whether his stock holds as a top-20 prospect.
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