BRONCOS MAKE BOLD BET: Pat Bryant Brings Size, Smarts, and Sure Hands to Denver!

The Denver Broncos drafted Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant in the third round over the weekend, and the move came as somewhat of a surprise to the fan base and media. There were more well-known names still on the board, and not just at wide receiver, which is why some people were taken aback by the Broncos' selection of Bryant.

But who is Bryant and what does he bring to the table for the Broncos? Should Broncos Country be excited or anxious?

Let's dive into his scouting report for the answers.

Biography

Patrick “Pat” Bryant was born on December 10, 2002, so he will turn 23 years old near the end of the 2025 season. He was recruited to Illinois, and despite a coaching change, he stuck it out instead of reopening his recruitment. 

Size & Athleticism

At 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds, Bryant has excellent size, and he's a solid athlete. He doesn’t have great long speed, as indicated by his 4.61-second 40-yard dash, but he plays a little faster than that on tape. There is also some solid agility with Bryant. 

Key Statistic

On 136 career catches, Bryant had 19 touchdowns and 95 first downs. So, 114 of 136 receptions either moved the chains or put points on the board, which includes 52 of 54 in 2024.

He only one drop on 78 targets last season.

Pros

Bryan showed growth and development each year at Illinois. He's also praised for his maturity, football intelligence, and love of the game, which are all intangibles that teams covet. 

While Bryant didn’t test well at the NFL Combine, he can win vertically by stacking and leveraging defenders. He's one of the better receivers in this class at creating natural leverage in his route running against defenders. This is especially evident when running a slant route, which is one of Bryant's best, though he has a well-developed route tree. 

Bryant's football IQ is easy to see on tape, as he reads defenses and defenders well. He can find the soft spot in zone coverage or see where defenders are trying to leverage his route, and he has the creativity in his route-running to combat the defenders' attempts at leverage. 

With his size, Bryant does a good job of combating defenders at the catch point. He uses his size to protect the catch point and box out defenders, making life more difficult for them to attack his hands.

He also has soft and natural hands, with 11 career drops. Bryant looks to high-point the ball and plucks it out of the air. 

Bryant's blocking is among the best in this class, and he has excellent body control to make some acrobatic catches. He was among the leaders in completed sideline catches in college football last season, and he has exceptional technique when catching fade routes. 

Bryant is a physical and versatile receiver who has outstanding route-running with an excellent understanding of the nuances, especially for a player of his size. He can be a threat in the slot or on the boundary, with the ability to work in all nine areas of the field. 

Cons

When it came to tougher competition, Bryant had some issues, which doesn't bode well when making the jump to the NFL. However, not being a team's top target could help him create better matchups.

Bryant also isn’t a great athlete and lacks the long speed, which may hinder him as a vertical threat and allow safeties and corners to play him differently than speedier pass-catchers.

Bryant has a lot of contested catches on tape, as he doesn’t have great bursts in and out of breaks to create instant separation, which could be an even bigger issue at the NFL level. With only 11 drops in his career, nine of them came between 2022 and 2023.

While not inherently a concern, the context in which those drops occurred is. Some of them were routine catches where Bryant seemed to feel incoming contact, or when looking at what he could do with the ball in his hands before completing the catch. 

Bryant's agility is solid, and he can be a threat after the catch, but he won't be an X-factor with the ball in his hands. The dynamic ability isn’t there, and most of what he brings after the catch will come from his physicality, more so than his ability to make defenders miss. 

Fit with Broncos

Bryant brings three things the Broncos don’t have: a high-quality blocker, a great route runner, and elite reliability when targeted. The physicality is there as a blocker, and while the Broncos added Trent Sherfield in free agency, his lack of ability as a receiver will limit him on offense.

Courtland Sutton is currently the best route runner the Broncos have, but Bryant has a better read on defenders and more nuanced movements. Then there is the reliability, which is great, as every Broncos receiver has some issues with drops, but Bryant has great and trusty hands.