When the Denver Broncos' brain trust finally concluded that moving up to draft Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty would be too expensive, the front-office pivot elsewhere was always going to be tricky.
Using the 20th overall selection on standout Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron only served to open the Broncos front office up to criticism, especially because they passed on UNC tailback Omarion Hampton to do so.
Rolling the dice a little further, the Broncos executed a couple of trade-downs in Round 2 before pulling the trigger on UCF running back RJ Harvey at 60th overall, a player with sub-4.5 breakaway speed in his arsenal.
If we're looking for the inside take on what Harvey can bring to the table, look no further than former UCF head coach Gus Malzahn for intel. After all, he spent four seasons coaching Harvey.
Malzahn knows firsthand that speed is a big asset for Harvey, but he's also got a loaded toolbox at his disposal beyond just turning the afterburners on.
"He's strong and he's explosive," Malzahn told Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. "That maybe is an advantage. ... He's got unbelievable lateral quickness. He's got great vision. He's a patient runner. He's a tough guy. He's durable. He catches the ball extremely well out of the backfield."
It's safe to say that Harvey's plate will be quite loaded as a rookie in Denver, but the expectation is that Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin will also carry some of the load this coming season. Even so, Harvey proving he can rapidly absorb the playbook and improve in pass protection will be the key to whether he becomes the No. 1 running back for Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
Harvey has proved that he can overcome adversity and bounce back stronger, and coaches like that. His recovery from an ACL tear back in 2021 hasn't gotten in the way of him following a pro career trajectory, an upward curve that will now begin in earnest as he becomes Payton's "pet cat."
At UCF, Harvey caught 20 passes for 267 yards in 2024; this was enough to convince the Broncos that he could significantly develop that part of his game moving forward. Seeing the field extremely well is another core strength, which can be attributed greatly to Harvey's past experience as a high school quarterback in Orlando, FL.
While at Virginia to start his college career, Harvey initially projected as a quarterback before redshirting, so Malzahn feels it gives his former pupil a unique perspective on playing running back.
"He had a great first spring before he tore his knee up and missed the next season," Malzahn said via Tomasson. "Then he was still learning the running back position. But the past two years, he was dominant. He's got a unique perspective of being a former quarterback at the Division 1 level in which he looks at the game from a quarterback standpoint while playing the running back position."
Part of the Broncos' fresh approach to the draft, ever since Payton joined forces with GM George Paton, has been the push to draft high-character individuals and core leaders. That drove much of what the Broncos did in the draft last year when evaluating first-round quarterback Bo Nix, and it's a formula they followed closely in 2025.
At UCF, Harvey was a well-respected team captain, a leader who Malzahn admitted remained fairly quiet but led by example, and who provides another nice fit in Denver.
"His teammates loved him," Malzahn told Tomasson. "He's a quiet kid. He's one of the hardest workers on the team. He just shows up early and leaves late every day."
