GM Reveals Why Second-Round RB RJ Harvey Was Broncos' 'Pet Cat'

The immediate aftermath of the Denver Broncos' 2025 draft haul shares one big similarity with last year's. Broncos fans will recall how Bo Nix was billed as a big 'reach' at No. 12 overall by the national press.

That's all Broncos fans heard about the subject until Nix started winning games. By the end of October, nobody was talking about the Broncos 'reaching' on Nix as he was named Offensive Rookie of the Month.

Many of the same tropes said about Nix then are being said about Denver's Day 2 draftees now. Draft media had lower grades on UCF running back RJ Harvey and Illinois wideout Pat Bryant than where they were selected, but each was obviously much higher on Denver's board, going in the second and third rounds, respectively.

The Broncos will shrug off the 'reach' criticism, secure in their internal belief in what these two skill-position players bring to the table for Nix. Harvey provides an explosive element and a receiving ability out of the backfield that was heretofore absent in Denver's running back stable.

Bryant brings a fearless leadership, excellent route-running, and hands that are as reliable as it gets. In the wake of the draft, head coach Sean Payton dished on why Harvey was the Broncos' target in the second round, when other more well-known backs like Iowa's Kaleb Johnson were still on the board.

“The very first thing you see in the evaluation is his running ability. I heard comparisons to Darren Sproles," Payton said on Friday. "Look, it’s always difficult when you look at height and weight... When you look at the running skill set, it was, wow, and explosive runs, all of those things. 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."

UCF didn't use Harvey much as a receiver out of the backfield. That was a scheme-based thing, not because he wasn't capable.

The Broncos loved Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, who ultimately landed with the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6 overall. When Jeanty left the board, it seems that Harvey genuinely became the Broncos' Plan B because they had a chance to draft the consensus No. 2 running back in the class — Omarion Hampton — instead opting to take Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron at No. 20 overall.

"In the early part of this process, everyone had seen the skill set of Jeanty. He’s a fabulous player and then, if that’s unrealistic, which obviously, where he was selected [it was]. Where are we falling in love with somebody?" Payton said.

At Harvey's pro day, the Broncos were impressed with his instincts in the passing game and his ability to run routes. You heard Payton extolling Harvey's soft hands, but that pro day made believers out of the Broncos.

“The pro day that they have, they’re running that, and they may use some pro coaches, and we watch. Now, different than, ‘Oh we’re going to have a private workout’, like he’s the last one we would have wanted to have a private workout with," Payton said. "But early in the film evaluation, George said, ‘Man, he’s going to catch like, four or five of these rail routes.’ You see it."

The Broncos loved Harvey, and had intentions on hopefully drafting him, which is possibly why they wouldn't have wanted to tip their hand by holding a private workout. But it worked out, and he was there at No. 60 overall, roughly a round-and-a-half higher than where the media mocksters had Harvey going in the draft.

“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," Broncos GM George Paton said of Harvey on Friday night. "You can see his instincts—the pass game, 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.”

The irony is that the Broncos rolled the dice on possibly missing out on Harvey by trading back twice in the second round. Fortunately, he was still there when they finally went on the clock.

"We didn’t want to lose him, obviously. But we felt like moving back would set the tone for the day, would give us flexibility to do what we want to do for the day, and it did," Paton explained. "Harvey—[he] was kind of our pet cat throughout the process. His running style, he’s dynamic, really good vision, really good instincts, really good contact balance, highly explosive. We thought maybe he had the best vision in the draft. You see the plus-10s, I think he leads everyone with plus-10 runs. Home run ability… We feel like he can improve in the pass game.”

Harvey brings that vision and explosiveness to the running back stable that Denver was missing, leading the FBS in gains of 10-plus yards. Wrap your brain around this: nearly one-quarter of his carries (23.3%) eclipsed 10 yards, and 35.1% went for either a first down or touchdown.

Harvey was Denver's "pet cat" for a reason, and while the draft media scratches its head over the Broncos taking him where they did, nobody at Dove Valley is second-guessing it. So, if you were among the throngs of Broncos Country who didn't buy into the 'reach' tropes last year vis-a-vis Nix, that may be a good posture to take relative to Harvey, and Bryant, this year.

The Broncos knew what they were doing.

“I’m extremely excited. I’m ready to get to work right away, get in there and put my head down and just showcase all my skills to all of my teammates and my coaches," Harvey said after he was drafted. "My main goal is to come in there and do whatever I can to help Denver win, make the playoffs, and get to the Super Bowl.”