The Denver Broncos’ turnaround after Russell Wilson has been built on youth, even if one national ranking doesn’t fully capture it.
Denver was forced to lean into its younger players after getting hit with a then-NFL-record $85 million in dead money. With the salary cap squeezed, the front office had little choice but to trust the 2023 and 2024 draft classes, and that gamble paid off. Behind Bo Nix, the Broncos won 24 games over the last two seasons, knocked the Kansas City Chiefs off the top of the AFC West last year, and claimed the conference’s No. 1 playoff seed at 14-3.
Still, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz placed Denver No. 31 in his ranking of current under-25 talent, and said the Broncos had no “blue-chip” player under 25. That’s a harsh read on a roster that has already gotten meaningful production from several young pieces.
"There’s a lot of youth in Denver at wide receiver, although we don’t know who will get the most playing time after the Jaylen Waddle trade. Marvin Mims Jr. is 24, while Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin are both 23," Schatz wrote.
Schatz also ranked the Los Angeles Rams No. 32.
The Broncos’ placement looked especially odd given that Jahdae Barron, last year’s first-round pick, is still 24. Schatz pointed to Denver not having a first- or second-round pick this past April as part of his reasoning, but Barron came off the board on Day 1 a year ago, so the logic doesn’t quite hold up.
"On the defensive side of the ball, cornerback Jahdae Barron will turn 25 in December and cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine will be 25 in October. Otherwise, the Broncos are way down here in part because they didn’t have a pick in 2026 until the third round. (That first selection, defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim, is 23 years old)," Schatz wrote.
By Schatz’s own methodology, which weighed starts, snaps, play quality, contract value and length, positional importance and more, Barron had a strong case. He started five games as a rookie and played in all 17, looked sharp in coverage, tackled well, and flashed enough that Denver’s usage of him as a tight end neutralizer seemed to invite more of that role. Playing behind Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian kept his snap count down, but the talent was there.
Marvin Mims Jr. also feels like a miss. He’s not a starter in the traditional sense, but he’s already a two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro returner as a fourth-year player.
He also made big receiving plays in last season’s playoffs and led the Broncos in receiving during the tournament. At 24, he fits the kind of player Schatz was trying to identify.
Running back RJ Harvey recently turned 25, which took him out of the conversation. If he were still 24, he likely would have landed in the blue-chip group as well.
A year from now, rookie running back Jonah Coleman could be in that category. He’s only 22 and could become part of Denver’s offense if J.K.
Dobbins misses time. And that possibility matters, because Dobbins’ health history makes a full season a tough bet, even though he was re-signed and remains one of the league’s most efficient backs when available.
Coleman looks like the insurance policy there, not Harvey.
The Broncos’ young core is already more established than the rankings suggest. Nix, Surtain, Moss, McMillian, rush linebacker Nik Bonitto and safety Talanoa Hufanga are all 26 now, which is hardly old.
Denver’s roster may be moving out of its pure youth phase, but the foundation is still early in its prime. That’s a good place to be.
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