The Denver Broncos find themselves in unfamiliar territory. It has been many years since the Broncos both had their first-round pick, and that pick was relatively late on Day 1.
Assuming the Broncos stay at pick 20, it will be the latest they'll have picked in Round 1 since 2017 when Denver nailed their selection, landing a long-term answer and franchise left tackle at Garett Bolles. The Broncos selected tight end Noah Fant at No. 20 overall in 2019, but that was after trading back from No. 10 overall in a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 20 wasn't Denver's original pick that year.
However, there are a number of different ways the picks before the Broncos go on the clock could go,
which is part of the reality of picking as late as they are. Further complicating the attempt to predict who the Broncos could draft is the pleasant truth that the team, on paper, doesn't have many holes.
It’s a strong roster overall, and outside of running back, which is a position that it takes a really special prospect to be worthy of round-one consideration, the Broncos look rather locked and loaded for an inspiring 2025 season.
If running backs Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) or Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) fall to No. 20, many assume the Broncos will look to finish off their roster with a talented tailback. However, it’s very much possible that both backs are long gone by the time Denver picks.
That’s the projected scenario in Bruce Feldman of The Athletic's mock draft. Using anonymous quotes from coach contacts from across the college landscape, Feldman crafted a mock draft with both Jeanty and Hampton off the board at picks 10 to Chicago and 12 to Dallas, respectively.
With Penn State tight end Tyler Warren off the board at 14 and Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan gone at 18, the Broncos' options for offensive weaponry dry up rather quickly by the time pick 20 comes along.
Instead, Feldman projects the draft's 40-yard dash winner at wide receiver in Texas’ Matthew Golden to Denver at No. 20. With Golden running a 4.29-second 40 with a 10-yard split of 1.49 seconds, Feldman writes that “Golden’s stock is soaring."
Already liked among scouts in the league, per Feldman, Golden’s speed at the Combine and his growth across last season should see him his name called on Day 1 of the draft. A defensive backs coach who schemed against Golden told Feldman, “He’s got crazy burst and sudden movements to get past a defensive back… and he’s smart.”
Another defensive backs coach expressed to Feldman his surprise at how much speed Goldman had at the Combine but touted the Longhorn's ability as a route runner and winning in one-on-one situations.
Could the Broncos target Golden at 20 if he falls to that selection and the board falls the way Feldman projected in his mock draft? On paper, the Broncos could certainly utilize a Z/slot receiver like Golden, who excels in winning against man coverage and uncovering quickly.
Much like how Broncos Country had hoped Jerry Jeudy would develop into a Z/slot receiver who could create quick and easy separation to help his quarterback, Golden’s speed and suddenness before the pass could certainly help out Bo Nix and Denver's passing game with a lot of uncertainty at wide receiver.
However, just like how the Broncos traded Jeudy away last offseason, would Sean Payton value Golden and his skill set highly enough to take him at 20? And are there any previously highly drafted or utilized weapons during Payton’s tenure in New Orleans that would suggest he wants this type of archetype?
Golden is not the physical size and length mismatch of a Marques Colston or Michael Thomas type, but could he develop into a Brandin Cooks or Robert Meachem type — the only two first-round receivers the Saints took during Payton’s time in New Orleans?
While Cooks is a few inches shorter and Golden didn’t test agility at the Combine like Cooks did (who tested like a good short area athlete in the three-cone drill, and elite in the 20-yard shuttle, and 60 yard shuttle), perhaps he could fulfill that kind of role. Golden didn’t appear to have as much field-stretching vertical speed on tape as Cooks, but the 4.29-second 40 suggests otherwise.
Also, to be fair to Golden’s tape, he is not exactly a one-for-one with Jeudy. While both are twitchy and can beat man coverage quickly, Golden appears to play through contact at the catch point better and can compete above the rim and on throws throughout his radius better than Jeudy, whose hands and middle-of-the-field toughness vs. physicality were not ideal during his time in Denver.
After Hampton, Golden is quickly rising up the boards as an oft-mocked player to Denver with the 20th overall selection. Golden doesn’t have a massive sample size as a go-to pass catcher and his size suggests he is more of a WR2 in a Z or slot role as opposed to a big-body X receiver that tends to go earlier in the draft, but if the top weapons are gone and the Broncos feel desperate to add juice to the offense, they could certainly target him, as Feldman suggests in his mock.
