BRONCOS ROOKIE RJ HARVEY AIMS TO OUTSHINE SAINTS LEGENDS!

Denver Broncos second-round running back RJ Harvey spent a portion the first day of rookie minicamp watching a couple of Sean Payton's heavy-hitters during the veteran head coach's time with the New Orleans Saints. Harvey studied film of former Saints running backs Darren Sproles and Alvin Kamara on Friday, and it sounds like it offered him as much motivation as it did edification.

“Watching those choice routes and everything,” Harvey said from his locker on Saturday, via Denver Sports' Andrew Mason, "[I] definitely want to be like those guys, you know, like Darren Sproles. He went crazy with the Saints. Kamara, too. So, I want to be better than those guys. So, I'm going to work every day, get better, and just prove myself to all the vets and the coaches, and I want to make an immediate impact in this league.”

What made Sproles and Kamara special for Payton was their versatility, especially as it relates to catching the ball out of the backfield. In order for all the cornerstones of Payton's offense to be laid in Denver, the Broncos need a prolific pass-catching running back.

The challenge was that the UFC Knights didn't feature Harvey much in their passing game, making it even more of a projection for the Broncos. However, what Payton and company saw at Harvey's pro day assured them that there was enough there with his route-running ability, hands, and understanding of passing concepts to build upon at the NFL level.

“He just ran the normal route tree at his pro day, at the Combine, and you can see it, his ability to get in and out, his ability to catch. You can see his instincts, the pass game, he had a lot of big plays in the pass game," Broncos GM George Paton said after drafting Harvey. "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.”

That was a big box to check. The other aspect was Harvey's explosiveness and vision as a ball-carrier. He led the FBS in rushes of 10-plus yards last year. Astoundingly, 54 of his 232 carries last year went for 10-plus yards (23.2%).

Ashton who?

Harvey checked all the boxes the Broncos sought in the ball-carrier department, but the final question was his wherewithal as a potential receiving weapon out of the backfield. The Broncos came away more than confident in that aspect of his game, even though he wasn't utilized much as a receiver at UCF, totaling 61 receptions for 720 yards and four touchdowns over his four-year collegiate career.

"When you look at the running skill set, it was, 'wow,' and explosive runs, all of those things," Payton said on April 25. "Then you begin to study the passing game stuff, and he’s got soft hands. He does a lot of those things well, you could see that maybe more in the pro day than you do on the film, just because of the offense."

So, Harvey's claim that he wants to be "better" than Sproles and Kamara may sound a bit provocative coming from a rookie's mouth, but, if nothing else, it shows that he's aiming high. Although Sproles has been retired since 2020, he and Kamara (who's still playing in New Orleans) have combined for eight Pro Bowl nods and three second-team All-Pro selections.

Most of Sproles' Pro Bowl accolades were based on his punt and kick returning prowess, but he was an uber-productive back, especially on third down, with three teams, including Payton's Saints. At 5-foot-6 and 190 pounds, Payton rarely asked Sproles to stay in to block or pick up blitzing linebackers, and yet, he saw the lion's share of his snaps on the 'money down.'

The savvy presence of veteran quarterback Drew Brees allowed Payton to roll the dice on Sproles and Kamara not always being heavily involved in pass protection, thanks to the future Hall-of-Famer's ability pre-snap to recognize where the pressure was coming from and get rid of the ball quickly. Payton has his new version of Brees in Broncos second-year quarterback Bo Nix, who, as a rookie, was the third-least sacked signal-caller in the NFL.

Nix has a lot of room to grow to become the quick decision-maker that Brees was for Payton, but the early returns in that area are very optimistic, and the Broncos have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.

Pass protection can be a handy skill set to possess as a running back, but the key is playmaking ability. That's any running back's ticket to the party, so to speak. Pass pro can be coached and cultivated over time.

As Payton said on Saturday, the Broncos can use a variety of personnel packages and blocking concepts on third down to help account for blitzing linebackers without relying on Harvey to block or remove him from a passing play, just as the coach did in New Orleans with Sproles and Kamara.

“When you think about this, Sproles, Kamara, there are a lot of different backs we’ve had that we can create different protections to make sure that the matchup’s right," Payton said on Saturday. "We’ll have a handful of different… Because I know the question is, ‘Is he a three-down back?’ Well, he’s going to play on third down, but he could play on third down where the tight end is in protection opposite. There’s a lot we can do relative to really suit his strengths."