Did the Broncos Have the Worst Draft Class in the AFC West?

It's time to measure the Denver Broncos' 2025 draft class against their AFC West rivals.

Sep 7, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights running back RJ Harvey (7) scores a touchdown during the second quarter against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at FBC Mortgage Stadium. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

With the NFL draft over. When it comes to the Denver Broncos, there's a lot of doubt about their draft haul, with many saying they 'reached' and others claiming they had the worst class in the AFC West.

Is that true, though? Let’s dig in and find out. 

Kansas City Chiefs

When reviewing these classes, it's safe to say that the Chiefs had the best class on paper. Of course, not a single one of these players has played in the NFL, so it's hard to say how things will turn out.

The Chiefs landed offensive lineman Josh Simmons to help protect Patrick Mahomes, but the rookie is coming off a serious injury. After getting thrashed the way they did in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs had to add to their offensive line. 

Kansas City also got thrashed upfront on the defensive side of the ball, so they added an interior defensive lineman in Omarr Norman-Lott and an edge defender in Ashton Gillotte. The Chiefs added the best zone corner in the draft in Nohl Williams and a cover linebacker in Jeffrey Bassa. The Chiefs have had some success hitting on later defenders over the years. 

There's still some concern over the weapons for Mahomes, but the Chiefs added Jalen Royals as a wide receiver and a receiving running back in Brashard Smith. Royals is versatile, complements the receivers the Chiefs have, and fits with Andy Reid’s love of lining up wideouts in different spots. Smith is a weapon out of the backfield, but fumbles are a concern, and he has some issues as a rusher, mainly due to his lack of experience as a running back. 

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers got Omarion Hampton, who many believed would end up with the Broncos. That gives L.A. a powerful duo with Najee Harris already on the roster.

The Chargers also added a pair of receivers to help a passing game that has had inconsistency at best, outside of Ladd McConkey, in Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Both bring a skill set that the Chargers don’t have in their room. That isn’t all they added to their offense, as they drafted Branson Taylor as a developmental tackle and tight end Oronde Gadsden II.

Defensively, the Chargers added to their front with Jamaree Caldwell and Kyle Kennard to help replace the losses they suffered up front. In the secondary, L.A. added R.J. Mickens and Trikweze Bridges as versatile defensive backs to try and develop. 

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Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders had a great draft over the first two days, but they took a hit on Day 3. Ashton Jeanty and Jack Bech are fantastic additions to pair with Brock Bowers for Geno Smith. Darien Porter is a raw but athletic developmental corner who fits what Pete Carroll likes to do defensively. The Raiders waited to add to their offensive line, but Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant are two great prospects who can compete to start as rookies. 

The Raiders started the third day with Dont’e Thornton Jr. at wide receiver and Tonka Hemingway on the defensive line; both were slight reaches and very niche picks. J.J. Pegues is an athletic nose tackle and can be a lot of fun for that defense.

Tommy Mellott and Cam Miller are athletes. Mellott can do a lot for them if he can develop, and Miller is a dart throw at quarterback. Cody Lindenberg is a bright and solid athlete at linebacker, but his instincts and awareness can be troublesome. 

Denver Broncos

The Broncos had a curious draft, with the consensus being they reached for almost all of their picks except for first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron and third-round defensive lineman Sai’vion Jones. The Broncos didn’t expect Barron to be there at No. 20 overall, and that changed their plans to an extent. 

The Broncos then let the board fall into their hands in the second round, traded down twice, and selected running back R.J. Harvey. After the draft, the Broncos made it clear they love him.

The Broncos also added a long and physical receiver in Pat Bryant, who is a great blocker outside and a reliable target, with just one drop on 78 targets and 52 of 54 catches resulting in either a touchdown or a first down. 

Before the end of the third round, the Broncos traded up for Jones to add depth to their defensive front. Que Robinson is an experienced and versatile defensive linebacker who can have a unique usage in the Vance Joseph defense.

Jeremy Crawshaw fills a need for an adequate punter. The Broncos then took a late flyer on a former basketball player in Caleb Lohner to hopefully develop into the next great basketball player turned tight end in the NFL. 

Bottom Line

Unfortunately, at first blush and based purely on pre-draft rankings, the Broncos may have had the worst class this year, but people thought the same after the 2022 draft and considered them among the third or fourth-worst after the 2024 draft. Guess what?

Three years after the 2022 draft, a legitimate argument can be made that Denver had the best draft that year. It's still early relative to the 2024 class, but after a year, the Broncos probably had the best class. So, while this may be viewed as the worst 2025 class right now, the Broncos' haul could be viewed significantly better in the fullness of time. 

Both GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton have shown they deserve Broncos Country’s trust when it comes to their drafting. Give it some time because what may seem unfavorable now may not be so later.

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It's all on paper before any one of the player drafted has taken an NFL snap. 

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