Broncos Reveal RJ Harvey Was Their RB2 All Along!

There was never a question of whether the Denver Broncos would draft a running back; it was a matter of when. Even though the expectation was in the first round, it's been made clear that the Broncos were more likely to trade down than take a running back at pick No. 20 had Jahdae Barron not fallen to them.

Had the Broncos traded down, they had been linked to running backs like TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, and a few other players at different positions. However, a recent report suggests Denver would have been targeting one of those other positions and not a running back in a trade-down. 

According to ESPN's Jeff Legwold, the Broncos had UCF running back RJ Harvey as their No. 2-ranked player at the position, whom they drafted at No. 60 overall in Round 2.

“After conducting a deep dive for information, watching hours of game film and crunching the numbers, the Denver Broncos concluded that UCF's RJ Harvey was the best running back not named Ashton Jeanty in the 2025 NFL draft," Legwold wrote.

If Legwold's report is true, it would be far from the consensus analysis about the 2025 NFL draft class. With all the talk about Omarion Hampton or Henderson in the first round, if Harvey was the Broncos' RB2, the front office did a masterful job of keeping those on the outside off their scent and could have helped them land him with the 60th overall pick. 

It's been made clear that the Jacksonville Jaguars, sitting with the 70th overall pick, were eyeballing two players, Harvey being one of them. Neither player was there, and the Jaguars ultimately traded down, but if they had gotten wind of Denver’s view on Harvey, they might have been more inclined to trade up to get him. Either way, the Broncos are delighted with getting a running back they loved, and their second-ranked guy at the position.

One of Harvey's big question marks with the Broncos is his ability in the passing game, both as a receiver and as a pass protector. However, Legwold makes it clear the Broncos saw enough in Harvey despite his limited exposure in college. 

“Like Sproles, Reggie Bush and Alvin Kamara did in New Orleans, the Broncos believe Harvey will grow into Payton's passing game. That involves some projection, as Harvey combined for only 61 receptions in his final three seasons, never catching more than 22 passes in a season in that span," Legwold wrote. "But the Broncos reviewed all of Harvey's receptions and took special note of his work in the position drills at the combine and his on-campus pro day. They saw the traits necessary for him to transition into their passing attack."

Broncos GM George Paton spoke to Harvey's skill set in the passing game after the pick was made.

"You can see it, his ability to get in and out, his ability to catch, you can see his instincts, the pass game," Paton said. "He had a lot of big plays in the pass game. You just don't see all the routes and you can see those at the pro day, and we think he can keep going like this and really in pass protection he can improve as well, like all these college runners."

This was a common theme with a few running backs this draft cycle. Some of the better backs didn’t have the collegiate workload as a receiver or pass protector, so you had to go over that limited exposure and turn to the Combine and pro day workouts to sketch a picture for NFL projection. At the Combine, Harvey did exceptionally well in the receiving drills, so it was easy to see what Denver did.

It's a bit harder to analyze and project pass protection, as the running backs don’t do such drill work at the Combine. However, Harvey was at the Senior Bowl, where he was put through pass protection drills during the week of practice, and he acquitted himself well. It wasn’t perfect, but he showed that there is room for growth. 

Paton once said it is easier to teach a receiving tight end to block than a blocking tight end to catch. While it's a different position, there may be a similar philosophy with running backs.

You can teach runners to catch and block more than the other way around. That's the case with what Paton and Sean Payton have said, but neither has stated it explicitly. 

The hope is that the Broncos can develop Harvey because they clearly believe in him, especially if he truly was their RB2. The Broncos need him badly this season to add explosive rushing plays to the offense, and someone to replace Javontae Williams’ production in the passing game.

Harvey will compete with Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, and Blake Watson to fill that role. Ideally, Harvey is the one who steps up the most to add to his versatility within the offense. 

The good news for Harvey is that Coach Payton has proven himself to be an 'x10' talent magnifier with his repeated success in getting the best out of players, especially running backs he's drafted.