Broncos Draft Trends: How Denver has Attacked the NFL Combine

The importance of the NFL Scouting Combine cannot be overstated, and it isn’t just about the athletic drills or measurements but also the interviews, medical checks, and so much more. Over the past few years, the Denver Broncos' approach to the NFL Combine has been interesting to watch.

This year, the Broncos will have eyes on every position but quarterback, with a focus on wide receiver, running back, tight end, defensive line, and linebacker, as those are their biggest needs. Of course, free agency will alter the roster needs math, but that doesn't happen until March 11, so the Broncos have to keep their focus on their primary needs.

The Big Combine Key

What has been the most important aspect of the NFL Combine for the Broncos over the past few years? The interviews and medicals, especially in 2025, when every player they drafted was praised for their interview performance. The Broncos also leaned into players with clean medicals to avoid taking much of a risk.

RJ Harvey's Combine

With second-round running back RJ Harvey, who scored 12 touchdowns last season, the Broncos focused on explosive drills during the athletic testing, where he tested in the 86th percentile or better, and his overall speed was in the 93rd percentile. That explosive ability helped him score the most total touchdowns among rookie running backs

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Pat Bryant's Combine

Speaking of last year, there was a lot of concern about wide receiver Pat Bryant and his 40-yard dash time, but the Broncos saw more speed on tape than he displayed in Indy, and overlooked it. He ended up being a key role player for Denver last year, taking on more and more responsibility as the season went on, until he suffered several concussions.

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois wideout Pat Bryant (WO08) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bo Nix's Combine

If you go back to 2024, quarterback Bo Nix didn’t do much at the NFL Combine, but he impressed in interviews. Not long after the Combine, at the Oregon pro day and a private workout around the same time, he got Sean Payton and the Broncos to lock in on him.

Troy Franklin's Combine

Nix's Oregon teammate had a different trajectory at the NFL Combine. Troy Franklin didn’t have the Combine performance many expected, with the measurements, athletic testing, and interviews.

Word came out that Franklin was struggling in interviews, came in weighing less than expected, and didn’t test well athletically, which led to his fall from what many viewed as a second-round player to an early fourth-round pick in 2024.

How the Broncos Leverage the Combine

So, when you look at the Combine and how the Broncos view it, they've used it to measure key points, but they aren’t overvaluing it, especially at wide receiver. Neither Bryant nor Franklin had the best Combine — Bryant athletically and Franklin overall — but the Broncos stuck to what they saw on tape and took a shot on them.

With the Broncos, if a player doesn’t meet expectations at the NFL Combine, it doesn’t mean they're out on them like some other teams. It's also difficult to pinpoint trends with the Broncos because it's only a three-year sample.

Each year, the Broncos have valued different elements in player evaluation, and some of them you can’t get any insight into without being in the room for the medical exams or interviews.