Broncos Predicted to Target WR in 2025 NFL Draft

Bo Nix needs help, and the 2025 NFL draft can't help him right now.

Aug 31, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) looks at scoreboard during third quarter at Arizona Stadium. / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos are winless at 0-2 and appear to be a team more destined for a lottery pick in the 2025 NFL draft than a playoff berth. Fortunately for Broncos Country, the season is long, and Sean Payton's resume indicates this team can and should improve as the season progresses, but with rookie quarterback Bo Nix under center, one of the younger rosters in football, and a substantial dead-cap hit, it appears to be a rebuilding season.

That's the read — even if those in charge of the Broncos won’t say the 'R' word, it's a rebuilding year.

With the Broncos looking as poor as they have to start the season and two tough road tests on tap, no one should fault fans for keeping one eye on the future. As it stands, the Broncos should have the 10th-most salary cap space in 2025 and already have their two 2021 draft picks locked up in Patrick Surtain II and Quinn Meinerz. Denver may qualify for a very high draft pick in the 2025 draft.

There will be plenty of time to speculate on who the Broncos will draft in April and what direction the team should go with its resources. However, early signs point to one area: pass catcher. If the Broncos are to improve this roster and give Nix a chance, the team needs far more talented receivers.

The 33rd Team's Kyle Crabbs seems to agree that Nix's supporting cast won’t cut it. In both of Crabbs’ mock drafts since joining the 33rd Team as the site’s lead draft analyst, he has mocked two separate receivers to Denver to help add some much-needed juice to a limping offense: Missouri’s Luther Burden and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan. 

At No. 9 overall in his first mock, Crabbs selected Burden to Denver.

“If McMillan offers shades of Brian Thomas Jr., then Luther Burden III offers echoes of Malik Nabers. I'm not saying they are a 1-for-1 by any means. But Burden III is explosive with the ball in his hands, can fly in the open fields, creates heaping yards after the catch, and offers explosive numbers against man and zone coverage," Crabbs wrote.

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After using two early selections on speed receivers in Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin, the Broncos are still searching for explosive playmaking at receiver. Burden would add a jolt to a team desperate for players who can create space and explosive plays after the catch. 

Differing from Burden, who is more of a Z/slot type at receiver, McMillan profiles more as a classic X receiver with some Z ability. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound receiver ranks No. 1 in Power Four football in receiving yards with 453 and tied second for touchdowns with four. Mocking McMillan to Denver at No. 5 overall in his most recent mock, Crabbs broke down the predicted selection.

“McMillan's body of work this season includes vertical shots down the sideline and a high volume of underneath passes that set up run-after-catch opportunities. For Sean Payton, I imagine adding both elements as an alpha receiver would be a welcomed development to his offense. The Denver Broncos need some long-term staples among their skill group — McMillan can do it all and, as such, makes a ton of sense amid the firepower in the AFC West," Crabbs wrote.

Again, there's a lot of football left to go this season and perception can change drastically. The Broncos could still turn things around. Young players could step up and change the roster's needs going forward.

However, if the Broncos are to not only help Nix become the quarterback they hope but even evaluate him properly, they need to add playmakers to their benign offense. Missouri’s Burden and Arizona’s McMillan appear to be the 2025 draft's top two receivers at this point, and both would hopefully add some sizzle to an offense that has finished just once in the top half of offensive EPA/Play in the NFL over the last decade.

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