The Denver Broncos have been evaluating the tight ends in this draft class since before they signed Evan Engram in free agency. Even after signing the veteran tight end, the Broncos have not slowed down in their evaluations, keeping a close eye on multiple tight ends at college pro days and bringing in various others for team visits.
On the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, Harold Fannin Jr., out of Bowling Green, announced that he has a visit scheduled with the Broncos. Adams offered some advice about making sure there's only football stuff in his backpack during his visit, as that's a famous story Sean Payton told about the Broncos' work-out of Bo Nix at Oregon last year leading up the the NFL draft.
At one point, Fannin was projected as a second-round pick who could have risen into the first round. Alas, throughout the draft process, he has fallen down boards, with many projecting him as a late Round 3 or early Round 4 pick. The Broncos currently have the 85th pick in the third round and the 122nd pick in the fourth round.
The Broncos would have met with Fannin at the Senior Bowl, as every team meets with every player at the scouting bowl games. That was back when he was still viewed and projected as a second-round pick. A worse-than-expected workout at the NFL Scouting Combine has been the cause of his fall.
Fannin is a receiving tight end who will line up in the slot and offers next to nothing as a blocker. While Engram is a veteran, Fannin has the same path to success that Engram followed in the NFL: a receiving threat who lines up in the slot and isn’t asked to block because it will only disappoint the coaches.
Fannin burst onto the scene with 117 catches for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns in the 2024 season. His 2022 and 2023 seasons were solid in relation to his usage, with a 628-yard and six-touchdown receiving season in '23.
The Broncos are clearly still looking at adding to the tight end room. The expectation is that Denver will draft a tight end at some point and take advantage of one of the stronger draft classes at the position in the past 20 years.
