ESPN: Rookie WR Pat Bryant is Broncos' 'Biggest Surprise Player' of Offseason

With the offseason training program in the books, NFL teams, fans, and media await the start of training camp in only a matter of weeks. When it comes to the Denver Broncos, several players stood out during OTAs, even though there is a limit to what they can show due to the format of the practices and the restrictions the NFL imposes on teams.

Despite those limitations, one Broncos rookie, in particular, has managed to raise some eyebrows this offseason

In an article covering the biggest offseason surprise for each team, ESPN's Jeff Legwold had some positive things to say about Pat Bryant, the Broncos' third-round wide receiver. Bryant still has a long way to go, with training camp and preseason games still on the horizon, but he has helped his chances to win the No. 2 receiver job, especially with his main competition, Devaughn Vele, missing the Broncos' mandatory minicamp with an injury. 

“Perhaps it's difficult to be 'under-the-radar' when your head coach compares you to Michael Thomas before you've set foot in the team's facility, but the rookie showed he will do his part to carve out some playing time," Legwold wrote. "The third-round pick (74th overall) ran a 4.61 40-yard dash at the Combine, which deterred some in the league. But the Broncos saw a precise route runner who consistently created space with explosive release at the line of scrimmage.”

What makes Bryant's surprising showing thus far so gratifying is that he was the draft pick for whom the Broncos were most criticized. Denver had four ‘premium’ round picks, and Bryant drew the most shade, easily. Add in Sean Payton’s remarks about Bryant after he was drafted, and the hype for him only grew. 

Bryant's 4.61-second 40 time is a concerning mark because there have been few NFL success stories over the last 20 years among receivers with that speed. There are some success stories featuring wideouts who didn't have a 40 time on record, but they're harder to identify.

Cooper Kupp ran a 4.62-second 40 at the Combine, and there are size and play-style similarities between him and Bryant. However, Bryant is far from a carbon copy of Kupp as a player. 

Legwold would go on to highlight what he saw from Bryant during OTAs.

“He consistently showed physicality to win contested catches during the Broncos' offseason program, and quarterback Bo Nix showed the confidence to put the ball to Bryant in tight situations. Bryant's catch over first-round pick Jahdae Barron in minicamp was one of the best receptions in the three-day affair," Legwold wrote. "Playing time will be hard to come by with Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin getting most of the work with the starters, but Bryant is in the mix if he builds on his offseason work.”

Legwold not mentioning Vele is likely due to the injury he has been dealing with, but Mims and Franklin stand out. Both Mims and Franklin have a lot to prove in terms of being a bona fide wide receiver.

While Mims is an All-Pro returner, he did find a role as a gadget player last season. However, there is reasonable doubt whether he can be more than that. As for Franklin, he has the speed to challenge vertically, and Payton has highlighted his ability after the catch, but his ball tracking and reliability were problematic last season. 

Bryant offers something different than either of those two receivers, who might be better suited for situational roles and usages than as a full-time Z-receiver. That said, he also isn’t the ideal makeup for that Z role, as he is more in the mold of an X-receiver, so a combination of players is the likely pathway for the Broncos. 

Perhaps the team's plan for Bryant is to develop him into the X-receiver to replace Sutton one day, who is a free agent after this season, or to utilize the rookie in the slot, a role the Broncos can also employ with Vele.

Whatever the plans are, the Broncos need receivers to step up around Sutton to help Bo Nix, and it's extremely promising to hear that Bryant has been a surprise to a veteran NFL eye like Legwold. Let’s see if the rookie can continue that in training camp and preseason.