The Denver Broncos reportedly signed 15 college free agents following last weekend's 2025 NFL Draft, one of whom received a nice chunk of change for putting pen to paper.
According to 9NEWS' Mike Klis, the Broncos gave former Georgia offensive lineman Xavier Truss a $20,000 signing bonus and guaranteed $130,000 in salary.
A two-time CFP National Champion, Truss vacillated between tackle and guard for the Bulldogs, starting 42 career games while earning second-team All-SEC honors in 2023. The 6-foot-7, 309-pound blocker was tagged with a sixth-round grade, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.
"Sixth-year senior who saw more reps at tackle but will need to play guard on the next level," Zierlein noted in his scouting profile. "Truss is tough but inconsistent. He’s adequate as a base blocker but lacks the core strength and body control to stay centered and connected over the rep. He moves well enough to play in space but only at an average level. Truss does a nice job of keeping rushers at the end of his punch and he scans for potential trouble in both of his gaps. Athletic limitations and a lack of bend could create anchor and recovery issues inside. Truss is a likely Day 3 selection with backup potential as a guard."
With 33-inch arms, Truss projects as an interior lineman at the NFL level. In Denver, assuming he's stationed at guard, the Rhode Island native will likely compete with Calvin Throckmorton and Nick Gargiulo for a reserve spot behind starting RG Quinn Meinerz and LG Ben Powers.
Mile High Huddle draft analyst Erick Trickel estimates that Truss has a 75% chance of cracking the final roster.
"Truss is a versatile offensive lineman who can play tackle or guard on either the left or right side. That versatility led many to think he would hear his name called in the draft," Trickel wrote Monday. "The Broncos have shown they love versatile offensive linemen with their college free-agent signings. The issue with Truss is that he may not have the bend and is naturally tall, at 6-foot-7, to play guard, and is not the most explosive or quickest mover to play tackle. He has a chance to push the offensive linemen at the bottom of the depth chart off the roster."
In addition to Truss, the Broncos brought aboard 14 other UDFAs, including OL Clay Webb, OL Joe Michalski, OL Marques Cox, LB Johnny Walker Jr., LB Karene Reid, LB J.B. Brown, WR Courtney Jackson, WR Joaquin Davis, WR Jerjuan Newton, CB Kendall Bohler, CB Joshua Pickett, CB Jaden Robinson, NT Christian Dowell, and DL Kristian Williams.
The club also selected seven players over the course of the Draft: DB Jahdae Barron, RB RJ Harvey, WR Pat Bryant, DE Sai'Vion Jones, LB Que Robinson, P Jeremy Crawshaw, and TE Caleb Lohner.
