ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. Mocks 'Joker' Weapon to Broncos in Round 1

This is one of the top 'joker' candidates in the 2025 NFL draft.

Nick Kendell | Feb 25, 2025

Michigan tight end Colston Loveland makes a catch against Washington during the second half of U-M's 34-13 win in the College Football Playoff national championship game in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Another day and we have another NFL mock draft with the Denver Broncos selecting Michigan tight end Colston Loveland at No. 20 overall. This time, it’s ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. — the "Godfather of the NFL draft" — in his mock draft 2.0, with Denver attempting to improve upon its abysmal tight end room by adding the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Wolverine.

As Kiper writes, Sean Payton is on the hunt for a 'joker' for his offense. The ESPN draft guru says Loveland could "help fill that role," thanks to his ability to separate as a route-runner and his frame.

During his NFL Combine press conference in Indianapolis, Broncos GM George Paton shared his hope in having four players the team really likes by the time pick No. 20 rolls around and that the caliber of prospect between picks 10 to 20 should be relatively the same. Whether it be an offensive weapon or a defensive front player, the Broncos have options should they choose to stand pat at 20.

It was revealed on Tuesday that Loveland had Dr. Neal Elattrache send a letter to all 32 teams regarding the tight end's shoulder injury suffered last season. Having sustained a 'Type V' AC joint dislocation in September 2024, Loveland underwent procedures after the season to repair and reconstruct the AC joint capsule.

Loveland should be cleared for non-contact drills by mini-camp and should be completely cleared by the start of training camp, according to Dr. Elattrache, but due to his recovery from surgery, the tight end will not be participating in the on-field testing and drills at the NFL Combine.

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Loveland should be commended for playing through this injury last season on an otherwise fruitless Michigan offense despite his first-round draft profile. Injuries will happen in the league, and the ability to play and contribute despite them is a huge plus in his scouting report.

It would have been nice to gather the testing metrics on Loveland at the Combine and evaluate how he performed in the drills to better compare his athletic profile vs. historical data. But it's not in the cards.

Loveland is by far the most common/popular selection for the Broncos at pick 20 in the NFL draft mock-o-sphere at this point. The Broncos have an obvious need at the position and Loveland’s ability to blur the line as a tight end and receiver could allow Denver’s offense to play a hybrid 11 and 12 personnel look under Sean Payton.

Notably, in Kiper's mock, the Broncos did not have a chance at running backs Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) or Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), who were mocked at picks 6 and 12 to Las Vegas and Dallas, respectively. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren was also long gone, having been mocked to New Orleans at 9.

However, Kiper had Denver bypass wide receivers Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State) and Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona), who were the next two selections off the board in his mock. As Paton stated on Tuesday, if Kiper’s mock draft comes to be, the Broncos could very well have four players they like to choose from when the team is finally on the clock at No. 20.

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