Broncos Conduct Sit-Down With Miami WR Ahead of Draft

The Denver Broncos are covering all their scouting bases with under two weeks to go until the NFL draft kicks off. Barring an extremely unlikely trade-up, the Broncos will be sitting out the first day of the draft, but on Friday, April 24, they'll be fully in the game with pick No. 62.

The Broncos hold seven selections in this draft, and although they recently acquired Jaylen Waddle via trade, they're doing their due diligence on this wide receiver class. One such receiver prospect the Broncos have met with more than once is the Miami Hurricanes' CJ Daniels.

Daniels chatted with NFL Draft On SI's Justin Melo, revealing that he had a sit-down meeting with Denver following the Hurricanes' pro day.

"I’ve been in touch with numerous teams. I had a sit-down formal meeting with the Denver Broncos after pro day," Daniels told Melo. "We had a good conversation. I had a few Zoom meetings after the NFL Combine with the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Broncos, and Carolina Panthers."

What Denver Sees

CJ Daniels makes the catch. — Miami Hurricanes wide receiver CJ Daniels (7) catches the football for a touchdown against Bethune-Cookman Wildcats cornerback Gabe White (17). | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Daniels is a 6-foot-2, 202-pound receiver who's shined modestly at several stops during his collegiate career. He started out at Liberty before transferring to LSU in 2024. Miami was the last stop as a senior, and he helped the Hurricanes almost win a National Championship.

At Miami last year, Daniels played in 13 games, catching 50 passes for 557 yards and seven touchdowns. For his career, he totaled 198 receptions for 2,996 yards and 28 touchdowns.

It's not eye-popping production. Daniels's lone 1,000-yard receiving season came in his final year at Liberty in 2023.

Daniels has sub-4.5 speed, though, and he's an excellent 'my ball' receiver, excelling in contested-catch situations. He also is very confident in his route running prowess.

However, Daniels struggles with physicality at the line of scrimmage and doesn't offer much after the catch or any special-teams value, which will cause him to fall in the draft.

Daniels will likely hear his name called in the sixth or seventh round. In the meetings he's had with NFL teams, he's been given a list of the things he needs to improve, and he's certainly willing.

"I crushed all of the interviews. I had some great conversations with different coaches," Daniels told Melo. "They were giving me some great intel and letting me know what areas I need to improve in. We had a lot of fun conversations at the NFL Combine."

Broncos Already Loaded at X WR

The question is, why would Denver be interested in Daniels?

The Broncos are loaded with X-type receivers — guys who can thrive outside the numbers. Daniels is another such player, but let's just say that, unless the Broncos traded someone, I don't see any way he's knocking Troy Franklin or Pat Bryant off the roster if he landed in Denver.

However, as a late-round selection, the Broncos could view Daniels as a potential developmental receiver to nurture in the arsenal. Sutton is on the wrong side of 30, and eventually he'll slow down.

Bryant has already been tapped as Sutton's successor, so Daniels would be waiting a while before getting a true bite at the playing-time apple. But sometimes players surprise people and exceed expectations, knocking otherwise sure-fire incumbents down a peg or two.

If the Broncos were to draft Daniels or sign him as a college free agent, he'd have low odds of making the 53-man roster out of camp, but a year spent on the practice squad could do him some good.

The Takeaway

Daniels is one of 300-plus prospects on the Broncos' radar this year. They've done their homework on him in the event that he's there late in the draft or if he doesn't hear his name called, the relationship is there to recruit him as a priority free agent.

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