ESPN’s two-round NFL mock draft has Broncos taking TE, RB
Feb 3, 2025, 12:31 PM
The Denver Broncos need to surround quarterback Bo Nix with more weapons this offseason.
That’s why fans will love the NFL mock draft that ESPN’s Matt Miller put out on Monday.
Miller didn’t just predict the first-round, he did the second-round as well. And he’s got Broncos head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton adding a tight end at No. 20 overall and then a running back with pick No. 51.
In Round 1, Miller projects Michigan TE Colston Loveland to Denver. Many have fallen in love with Penn State’s Tyler Warren, but Miller has him off the board at No. 14 to the Indianapolis Colts. Still, Loveland would be a pretty darn good consolation prize.
“Loveland is one of my favorite players in the entire class,” Miller writes. “(He) can line up all over the formation but is at his best as a flex tight end. He ran the full route tree at Michigan and has the grace of a wide receiver at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds.”
With the Wolverines, Loveland caught 117 passes for 1,146 yards and 11 touchdowns over the last three seasons. In 2024 he went for more than 580 yards through the air and five touchdowns. As Miller mentioned, he’s a tight end in stature but has the grace of a wide receiver. Broncos fans would quickly like the selection.
And with tight end solved, this mock has Denver pivoting to running back in the second-round. The selection predicted is Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa.
“Payton might say he prefers a committee approach at running back, but the Broncos need a lead back after getting only 513 yards from their No. 1 rusher (Javonte Williams, now a free agent) this season,” Miller writes.
He thinks Johnson can be that player and says he “shows downhill running ability and vision on stretch plays.” Last season with the Hawkeyes, Johnson went for a ridiculous 1,537 yards on the ground and 21 touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes and found the end-zone twice more that way.
Going offense and then offense with their first two draft picks would certainly makes Broncos Country happy. Now, we have less than three months until we find out.
To read Miller’s full two-round mock draft, click here.
