The Denver Broncos have a very young roster. It may not be the NFL's youngest overall, but the Broncos' youth movement came as a necessity last year in the wake of Russell Wilson's release and the brutal, historic dead-money charges that came with it.
The good news? The young players that Denver bet on last year answered the bell, and that wild and romping 2024 campaign provided a lot of experience to these greenhorns.
Moving into 2025, the Broncos are one year ahead of schedule on their rebuild. Once again, though, this team will be relying on the young stalwarts from last year to take the next step.
In that vein, here are six big risers in 2025, keeping in mind that rookies don't qualify. Another caveat: each name listed assumes relative good health, as injuries can't be foreseen.
Bo Nix | QB
Nix's rookie campaign was historic, both at the team and the league level. He reset all of the Broncos' rookie passing records, and notched a few NFL marks, too, moving into second place for the most touchdown passes by a rookie (29).
Nix also passed for 3,775 yards, which was a franchise record. What makes the mark all the more intriguing is that after the first four games of the season, he was on pace to pass for under 3,000 yards, averaging 165 passing yards per game through the first quarter of the campaign.
However, Nix found his groove in October and never looked back, earning Offensive Rookie of the Month honors and leading his team to double-digit wins on the season and a playoff berth. Fast forward to the Broncos' 2025 offseason training program, and the cool, calm, and collected Nix looked even more poised and at ease.
The 18 games Nix started last year, combined with his (at the time) NCAA-record 61 career college starts, gave him a wealth of experience. It's clear that the game has slowed down even more for the Broncos' quarterback.
Throw in the new weapons the Broncos added to Nix's arsenal, including tight end Evan Engram, and it's safe to project the second-year quarterback surpassing his rookie totals, which should redound to collective success for the team. Nix is a guaranteed riser.
Marvin Mims Jr. | WR
Mims' second year started off much the same as how his rookie year ended, but beginning in Week 10, the Broncos unlocked something in the young wideout's mind. Being thrown into the offensive mix at Arrowhead Stadium as a running back, as well as his duties as a receiver, Mims was a gadget that opponents didn't have an answer for.
Mims' contributions down the stretch helped ensure that Denver snapped what had been an eight-year playoff drought, finishing the season with a career-high 39 receptions for 503 yards and six touchdowns. Once again, he garnered Pro Bowl and All-Pro accolades as a returner, but this is the year he joins that conversation as a wide receiver.
Finishing the 2024 season with back-to-back double-touchdown games served as confirmation that Mims has finally turned the corner in his development as a receiver. He's going to be a lot of fun to watch this year.
Devaughn Vele | WR
I get it; with Courtland Sutton still holding down the fort as Nix's No. 1 passing target, I've already highlighted Mims, and there are only so many touches to go around. But the Sean Payton offense is about to scale upward as Nix takes the next step in his development, and the trickle-down effect on his supporting cast will be tectonic.
Vele, in a vacuum, would stand to benefit just based on Nix. But the former seventh-rounder out of Utah did not rest on his rookie laurels, working his tail off during the offseason.
By the time the Broncos reconvened for OTAs, it was clear that Vele is a different animal now. Although he was missing in action for the team's mandatory minicamp, Payton revealed that Vele's injury (an ankle) will be good to go by training camp.
As the projected No. 2 receiver in this offense, Vele is poised to provide some significant late-round returns for the Broncos in Year 2. He had the most productive rookie season for an NFL seventh-round pick since Marques Colston in New Orleans back in 2006.
What do Colston and Vele have in common besides their draft pedigree? A coach by the name of Sean Payton. Don't call it a coincidence; it's a harbinger.
J.K. Dobbins | RB
Dobbins may be a newcomer to the Broncos, but fans have every reason to expect him to bust into a new stratosphere. Last season in Los Angeles, he rushed for a career-high 905 yards and nine touchdowns.
That was nearly more than Denver's entire running back room produced. And although Dobbins will be splitting touches with rookie second-rounder RJ Harvey this year, his outlook has never looked brighter.
Dobbins showed last year that if he could keep the injury bug at bay, he could be an excellent NFL back. In Payton's scheme, which also utilizes the running backs creatively in the passing game, Dobbins will have a big role that should see him produce at a very high level. He's a guaranteed riser, health willing.
Dre Greenlaw | LB
Once again, we come to a newcomer with a checkered injury history. However, the Broncos are confident that their prioritization of player wellness and strength and conditioning will be a huge difference-maker for Greenlaw.
Already proven to be one of the NFL's better linebackers when healthy, Greenlaw's specialty is coverage, although he's certainly no slouch as a run defender. In San Francisco, he was fated to always be stuck in the 'Scottie Pippen' role behind All-World linebacker Fred Warner.
A big motivation for Greenlaw to join the Broncos was to "go be [Michael] Jordan." The Broncos are going to give him every opportunity to do just that, and at 28 years old, he still has plenty of runway to get that done. If the Broncos defense is able to fulfill all these offseason media predictions and becomes the NFL's No. 1 unit, Greenlaw will have much to do with it.
Riley Moss | CB
With the arrival of first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron, many Broncos fans have questioned whether Moss or Ja'Quan McMillian will be the odd man out. That remains to be seen, but considering how quickly the Broncos' passing defense went off the rails late last season when Moss was lost to a knee injury, I can't imagine the brass wanting to remove him from the equation to make room for a rookie draft pick.
Barron is going to play; don't get me wrong. But I don't believe it'll be at the expense of Moss. McMillian will become one of the NFL's best backup cornerbacks, and it'll be Patrick Surtain II and Moss on the boundary, with Barron in the slot.
Moss was a 2023 third-round pick, and last season was his first as a bona-fide starter. It was a little rocky early on, but his feisty, physical tenacity eventually won the day, allowing him to become an excellent complement to Surtain.
Remember, the cornerback playing opposite Surtain is always going to get "a lot of business" from opposing quarterbacks, as Payton himself says, but Moss proved last year that he can more than handle it. He's got to stay healthy, though, which can be hard to do for any defender, let alone a cornerback who throws his body around with such reckless abandon.
Again, though, Moss' outlook as a guaranteed riser assumes that he'll have some good fortune on the injury front. I predict he finishes the season with more takeaways than even Surtain (interceptions, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries), mainly because he gets so many targets, but he's also shown a propensity for getting his fingerprints on the ball.
Moss had three takeaways last season. And the relish with which he sticks his nose into the run-game muss portends well for a few forced fumbles.
An uber-competitor, don't for a second assume that Moss didn't get the message the Broncos sent by investing a first-round pick in a corner. The former Iowa Hawkeye will play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, even though Barron will be more of a complement than a threat to Moss' playing time.
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