Mel Kiper Jr. Predicts Broncos to Draft 'Jump Ball Artist' for Bo Nix

If this is how the board falls on draft day, the Denver Broncos will likely run their pick to the podium.

Nick Kendell | Mar 18, 2025

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) against the Colorado Buffalos at Arizona Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In this story:

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos mock drafts around the NFL media sphere have been exceedingly monotonous. Running back or tight end? Tyler Warren/Colston Loveland or Ashton Jeanty/Omarion Hampton?

This offseason, the media latched onto the Broncos’ need for a 'joker' to satiate Sean Payton’s needs on offense. After the first wave of free agency and the addition of tight end Evan Engram, that immediate need may have been met.

The Broncos still need running back reinforcements and could still go tight end at pick 20. But what should the Broncos do if the consensus first-round-caliber prospects of those positions are gone?

That’s the case in ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s mock draft 3.0. With Jeanty going No. 6, Warren going No. 7, Hampton going No. 12, and Loveland going 14, Kiper paired Arizona stand-out wide receier Tetairoa McMillian with the Broncos.

What happens next on the Broncos beat? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Kiper acknowledges the Broncos' obvious need for additional running back help given the current state of the room and the pitiful output from last season. A running back would have been in play if either of the top two had fallen, per Kiper, but there isn’t another viable round-one back in his eyes.

Instead, Kiper mocks McMillan to Denver as, shockingly, the first receiver off the board. Given the cost of a wide receiver on the market, it's pretty shocking to have the position tumble down the board, as Kiper suggests.

McMillan is a unique profile at receiver. Measured at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, he possesses a wirey frame with exceptional fluidity and flexibility for someone his size.

Despite being taller, McMillan is more crafty than he is physically dominant in his routes and at the line of scrimmage. He definitely plays to his size, though, at the catch point.

McMillan is not an overly explosive athlete, with his unofficial 40 times at his pro day coming in in the mid-4.5s, as well as the general consensus that he would not have jumped well in the vertical or broad jumps. But he is far more fluid and can create more separation in the quick game than expected from his profile.

Similar to one of Payton’s best all-time pass catchers in New Orleans, Michael Thomas, McMillan has a chance to be dominant from the slot but can also play Z or X — should the coming contract for current X receiver and 2026 free agent Courtland Sutton be too large.

Taking a receiver of McMillan‘s unique skill set and versatility with ample options to add running back, tight end, and interior defensive line on Days 2 and 3 might be a best-case scenario for the Broncos at 20 in the long run.

The Broncos attempted to add imposing size last year by signing Josh Reynolds to go with Sutton. Kiper likes that as a theme for 2025, too.

“Pairing him with Courtland Sutton and new tight end Evan Engram would give opponents some game-planning nightmares," Kiper wrote.

It’s not an additional joker option or a running back to help the rush offense, but McMillan would undoubtedly help Bo Nix and the Broncos going forward.

Recommended Articles