With the 2025 NFL draft in the books, the Denver Broncos finished with seven picks, one in each round except the fifth round, and two picks in the third. Sean Payton drafted his first LSU player and traded down not only once, but three times.
With four of the Broncos' picks coming in the first three rounds, they finished with three additional selections after entering Day 3 with only two picks. Denver made its fourth-round pick, then traded down in the sixth round and picked up a seventh.
We already graded the first three rounds, so let's turn our attention to the Broncos' Day 3 picks.
Que Robinson | OLB | Alabama
Grade: B+
When Nick Saban calls someone the best special teams player he ever coached, you pay attention. That's what the venerated former Alabama head coach said about Robinson.
The Broncos were unhappy with their special teams last year, as evidenced by making coaching changes, and Robinson will be a boost to their coverage teams. As for his play on defense, there is a lot of potential that still needs to be realized.
Over three years at Alabama, Robinson only played 370 total snaps on defense, with 246 coming in 2024. He did exceptionally well as a run defender and was efficient as a pass rusher with 19 pressures and three sacks on only 108 pass rush snaps.
Robinson ended up having his senior season cut short due to an elbow injury. But he's completely healed and 100%, according to him. With his ability to raise the floor of the special teams unit and his potential as a pass rusher, it's easy to be optimistic about the pick.
Jeremy Crawshaw | P | Florida
Grade: C-
To be clear, I am firmly in the “don't draft a specialist” camp, which means kickers, long-snappers, and punters. That sours my view on this pick, but Crawshaw is widely viewed as the best punter in the class and does seem to fit what new special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi likes out of his punters.
A good note is Crawshaw's experience as a holder, which not all punters entering the NFL have, despite it representing half their job.
As for his punting, Crawshaw has a good leg and the hangtime to not out-kick his coverage. He's also an accurate punter who does well to pin opponents deep by angling his punts out of bounds.
Caleb Lohner | TE | Utah
Grade: B
This is the 241st out of 257 total selections made in the draft. You can’t fault the Broncos for taking a flyer on an athlete, especially after doing so with wide receiver Devaughn Vele last year, who was 26 years old when he was drafted.
Lohner has played 57 snaps with four catches, all of which were touchdowns. The 6-foot-8 tight end is a former basketball player and a great athlete. Denver is betting on its ability to turn him into a football player.
One thing I always say is to bet on athletes late, and Lohner is an athlete. He's also tall and long, with incredible explosions and hops.
It wasn’t hard to analyze all of his snaps at Utah, and it's easy to see why Payton and Broncos GM George Paton are taking the risk, as he has the traits to develop as a receiver and as a blocker.
