PFF Draft Czar Pinpoints 'Favorite' Broncos Selection of 2025

The more time that passes since the 2025 NFL draft, the more the takes and opinions have begun to stabilize. Initially, Denver's draft class was met with mixed reviews by the fans and press, with Broncos Country disappointed that UNC running back Omarion Hampton was bypassed in favor of a cornerback, which was not viewed as a position of need, and the media leveling (once again) accusations of 'reaching' on Day 2.

Hampton landing with the Los Angeles Chargers two picks after the Broncos took Barron exacerbated the initial fan backlash.

However, the Broncos stuck to their big board and the 'best player available' philosophy, selecting Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron — the reigning Jim Thorpe Award winner — in the first round. For what it's worth, Barron was Pro Football Focus' draft czar Trevor Sikkema's favorite Broncos pick.

"As much as I love RJ Harvey, the Barron selection was my favorite for the Broncos. The team's front office has made it clear it wants to field one of the best, if not the best, defenses in football in 2025. Their offseason and selection of Barron prove that," Sikkema wrote. "Barron can play both the slot and outside cornerback as a defensive 'joker,' as Sean Payton referenced at the NFL Scouting Combine. He earned a 91.5 zone coverage grade in his first year as a wide cornerback at Texas in 2024."

Sikkema loved both of Denver's first two draft picks. Harvey will have a big role in the Broncos' offense, but it's Barron who emerged as the PFF analyst's favorite.

It will be interesting to see where the Broncos envision Barron. If we're trying to identify the weak link in Denver's starting cornerback trio, nickel Ja'Quan McMillian stands out.

If it's about ensuring that Denver fields its best trio at cornerback, then Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss will likely be the boundary guys, with Barron in the slot. McMillian isn't exactly chopped liver; he's very physical and has a nose for the football, but he was exploited badly in coverage last year by opponents.

The Broncos upgraded their already stellar secondary with the Barron addition. With former All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones at safety, and Surtain, Moss, and Barron at corner, opponents are going to find it very difficult to move the ball through the air vs. Denver.

Dove-tail that with the fact that the Broncos led the NFL in sacks last year, with two front-seven players eclipsing double-digit sacks and interior defensive linemen Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers combining for 15.5 sacks of their own, opponents will face a catch 22 on each and every passing snap.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has to be licking his chops at how GM George Paton and Coach Payton have restocked the arsenal on that side of the ball. Giving some attention to "the middle" of the defense this offseason was paramount to Payton, so the Broncos signed linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Hufanga, re-signed nose tackle D.J. Jones, and drafted Barron.

It's difficult to look across the Broncos' projected starting defensive unit and find a weak link, especially after Jones was re-signed. The Broncos even hedged against the injury bug by also bringing back 2024 starting inside linebacker Justin Strnad.