The “bust” talk around the Broncos’ 2025 draft class is getting ahead of itself.
One year is not enough time to hand out that kind of label, no matter how loud the conversation gets online. The draft process still has a long way to go, and for Denver’s young players, the evaluation is far from finished.
The loudest criticism has followed first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron, who was picked 20th overall and never claimed a starting job as a rookie. That alone has been enough for some people to start sharpening the bust narrative, even though the Broncos were already deep at cornerback and many viewed Barron as a luxury pick. His arrival also came at a time when Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian elevated their play.
Barron’s situation is more complicated than a simple hit-or-miss verdict. Denver is moving him around at all the cornerback spots, and while Sean Payton brushed aside questions about him getting safety snaps - including the dime-backer role - there’s still a path where Barron could eventually wind up at safety full-time.
The idea would be for him to serve as a Brandon Jones replacement after 2026. He’s playing a “Star” role in the secondary, a hybrid safety-corner job that lets him move around and create mismatches in reverse, and that was part of his rookie usage too.
Even with a quiet start to training camp, he had a big Day 6.
Because of that versatility and the roster situation in front of him, Barron should probably be given three years before anyone starts calling him a bust.
Running back RJ Harvey has heard the same noise, and that one is easier to understand from the outside. Denver drafted him in the second round, but the team doesn’t see him as the top back in the room.
He handled a heavy workload late in his rookie season and left plenty to be desired as the lead option, though that was a difficult assignment after the J.K. Dobbins injury.
There is still real value in a second-round scat-back who can change the pace, help in the run game and contribute as a receiver. Harvey has looked good in camp so far, mostly as a pass catcher, but his rushing improvement is what will determine whether the bust chatter starts to carry weight.
If that doesn’t show up this year, the conversation can reasonably begin.
Third-round receiver Pat Bryant has a different issue entirely: health. His rookie year was disrupted by two concussions in a matter of weeks, then a hamstring injury in the playoffs.
When he was on the field, he showed plenty, flashing repeatedly and turning in strong moments that hinted at breakout potential. The problem was availability.
If he can’t stay on the field and misses more than four games this season, the buzz around him will get louder. For now, though, he’s opened camp in dominant fashion.
The later the draft gets, the easier it is for people to slap on labels that don’t always mean much. Third-round pass rusher Sai'vion Jones needs to prove he can be a viable threat off the edge this year.
Fourth-round rush linebacker Que Robinson has to keep developing and keep making his mark on special teams. Sixth-round punter Jeremy Crawshaw would need to take another step in his development before anyone would even start that discussion, and punters live in a different world when it comes to bust talk anyway.
Late seventh-round pick Caleb Lohner, who had just 57 college snaps, was simply a low-risk, high-reward swing.
Barron is the biggest target, and Harvey and Bryant have their share of critics too. But calling any of these Broncos busts now is premature. They still need time, and Denver is giving them that time.
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Broncos Corner Battle Is Taking A Turn Fans Didn't Expect
Ten practices into training camp, Denvers cornerback pecking order is starting to take shape, and it has gone in a direction that looked a little different when camp opened. Riley Moss has separated himself in the secondary, giving the Broncos a clearer answer behind Patrick Surtain II as the defense works through the early stages of installation and competition.
Jahdae Barron, meanwhile, is not lining up where many might have expected. Sean Payton said Barron has not been shifted to safety, but the rookie is being used in multiple spots and is working in nickel and dime packages while competing more directly with Kris Abrams-Draine for a hybrid role and the No. 4 cornerback job. For a position group that still has time to evolve, the real question now is how Denver plans to deploy Barron as the camp rotation continues to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Offense Already Feels Different Under Davis Webb
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Vance Josephs side of the ball brings the contrast into focus, since the continuity on defense stands in sharp relief against an offense still learning its new rhythm. For Denver, the bigger question is how quickly Webb can get the unit comfortable with the fresh approach before camp starts narrowing the runway for experimentation. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Rookie Is Chasing The One Thing Camp Buzz Cannot Guarantee
Training camp often hands out optimism in neat, tidy doses, but Bo Nix keeps supplying a more practical version for Denver. The Broncos quarterback said his surgically repaired right ankle will not limit his mobility or scrambling this season, and Sean Payton has already pointed to Nixs ability to avoid sacks as one of the offenses biggest assets. For a team trying to build around a quarterback who can extend plays without inviting unnecessary punishment, that kind of confidence matters just as much as arm strength or scheme fit.
Across the division, Chargers rookie receiver Brenen Thompson is chasing something camp chatter cannot guarantee, the steady trust that comes only from winning over Justin Herbert in a crowded offense. Thompson talked about the mental grind of learning the system and the adjustment that comes with operating at NFL speed, which is a reminder that the hardest part for young skill players is often not the route tree but the reliability test. For Denver, it is the same familiar AFC West backdrop: quarterbacks and skill players trying to turn summer promise into something more durable once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]