For Oregon guys, at least — and there are a 濒辞迟听of Oregon guys in this 2025 draft class — getting an evaluation within Denver’s walls is simple enough. Head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton have sat in pre-draft meetings, crushing tape, and Payton has picked up the phone then and there and called Bo Nix for his thoughts.
Beyond former Ducks, though, the process of gathering prospect intel on future Broncos is much more complex. In addition to Zoom calls and standard combine and Pro Day visits, another big clue to an organization’s interest in a prospect is the “30 visit,” where clubs host players at their facilities to conduct a mix of interviews or physical exams.
Good luck, though, trying to accurately throw darts connecting draftees to organizations based on those meetings.
A variety of teams use them for a multitude of reasons, with agents across the NFL carrying the belief that they hold little weight in projecting who a franchise will actually draft. Of , only three (RB Blake Watson, CB Quinton Newsome and safety Omar Brown) later ended up in Denver.
“Maybe (it’s), 鈥楥an he learn what we are trying to do mentally?鈥�” Paton said, describing the reasons the Broncos would bring in a prospect for an in-house 30 visit. “Maybe he has something off the field we want to address. Maybe it抖阴ap someone who didn鈥檛 go to the combine and we want to bring them in to get a physical so we can draft the player. Maybe we are just trying to recruit a college free agent.”
The Denver Post has confirmed 20 prospects, per sources, that the Broncos have visited with this draft cycle. Here’s a breakdown on their potential draft slot with Denver, the temperature on organizational interest, and some notes.
RB Jaydon Blue, Texas
Possible fit:聽Third round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Lukewarm
Why bring him in: Blue profiles as a Darren Sproles-esque fit in Payton’s offense as an RB who can flash out of the backfield, but he also didn’t play a ton of snaps in college.
DT Vernon Broughton, Texas
Possible fit:聽Fourth round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Lukewarm
Why bring him in: Broughton’s got good size and decent athleticism, but has just 17 total college starts under his belt.
S Kitan Crawford, Nevada
Possible fit: Fourth round
Temperature: Warmer
Why bring him in: Crawford is super athletic (4.41-second 40-yard dash), but has just one year of proven college production in the Mountain West.
TE Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
Possible fit:聽Third round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Lukewarm
Why bring him in: Fannin set the world on fire at Bowling Green with 117 catches for 1,555 yards last year. But his combine results weren’t .
TE Terrance Ferguson, Oregon
Possible fit:聽Third round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Warmer
Why bring him in: This doesn’t technically count as a 30 for the Broncos, as Ferguson’s a Littleton native and came by the facility on a local visit.
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
Possible fit:聽First round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Warmer
Why bring him in: Could be to judge Golden’s intellect and potential fit in Payton’s system beyond top-of-his-class speed, and get some physical notes on him after .
WR Bryson Green, Wisconsin
Possible fit:聽Priority free agent
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Cool
Why bring him in: Green’s athleticism is off the charts, , but the receiver totaled just 17 catches in eight games at Wisconsin last year.
CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
Possible fit:聽First round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Cool
Why bring him in: Hairston might be the fastest man in the draft (4.28 40-yard dash at combine). He missed five games in 2024 with a shoulder injury, so his visit could’ve been for medical reasons.
TE Gunnar Helm, Texas
Possible fit:聽Fourth round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Warmer
Why bring him in: Another local product out of Cherry Creek High, Helm sprained his ankle at the combine and recorded less-than-ideal measurables.
RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
Possible fit:聽First round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Scalding
Why bring him in: The shifty Henderson might well be the Broncos’ guy at No. 20, especially if Payton wants to build a backfield tandem with returning Audric Estime.
RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Possible fit:聽Third round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Cool
Why bring him in: Payton likes big-bodied runners, and Johnson was a bell-cow at Iowa (1,537 yards, 21 TDs in 2024), but he doesn’t have extensive usage as a pass-catcher or pass-protector.
OL Nash Jones, Texas State
Possible fit:聽Sixth round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Lukewarm
Why bring him in: Jones has five years of college experience under his belt, but played at lower-profile programs Incarnate Word and Texas State and didn’t get invited to the combine.
RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
Possible fit:聽Second round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Lukewarm
Why bring him in: Maybe the visit is a smoke-screen for Buckeye backfield-mate Henderson? Or vice versa? Either way, Judkins is pretty much the opposite of Henderson.
QB Cam Miller, North Dakota State
Possible fit:聽Priority free agent
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Lukewarm
Why bring him in: Miller’s likely an undrafted fit for a team as a veteran out of FCS North Dakota State, and the Broncos could look to bring him in post-draft for competition.
DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
Possible fit:聽First round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Warmer
Why bring him in: Nolen checks all the boxes in production and size, but might carry character concerns, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that show Nolen has a history of “walking off the practice field mid-session due to frustration.”
EDGE Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly
Possible fit:聽PFA
Temperature:听尝耻办别飞补谤尘
Why bring him in: Ponder’s another guy from a lower-level program in Cal Poly with great college production who wasn’t invited to the combine.
WR Hal Presley, Baylor
Possible fit:聽Priority free agent
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Warmer
Why bring him in: Presley wasn’t a dominant receiving threat at Baylor (31 catches, 433 yards as senior), but was extremely active as a run-blocker and could have depth value.
LB Jailin Walker, Indiana
Possible fit: Sixth round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Cool
Why bring him in: Walker was really good last year at Indiana after three years at James Madison, but wasn’t invited to the combine, and has flown under the radar at an undersized 6-foot-1.
OT Trey Wedig, Indiana
Possible fit:聽Sixth round
罢别尘辫别谤补迟耻谤别:听Lukewarm
Why bring him in: Wedig is another potential depth fit on the OL 鈥� Denver will likely spend more time on late-round offensive linemen than early-round fits 鈥� that didn’t get invited to the NFL combine.
