The Denver Broncos have one of the best second-year players in the entire NFL, Bo Nix, on their roster. The team is all in on Nix at quarterback, but some other players from their 2024 draft class could be asked to take on much bigger roles in year two.
The Broncos are prepared to battle the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West crown, but knocking them off the top of the perch is going to take a collective effort. Nix will need some help on both sides of the ball, and the team has a few players who made good impressions as rookies, but will need to kick it into a higher gear in 2025.
These three players should have their numbers called much more this season than they did in year one.
Jonah Elliss, Edge, No. 76 overall in 2024 NFL Draft
Jonah Elliss played well as a rookie in 2024. The team's third-round pick racked up five sacks and he did that while playing only 37.5 percent of the team's defensive snaps. This season, he will still be behind Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper on the depth chart, but he should see more opportunities to get to the quarterback this season.
Elliss gained some great experience as a rookie and is part of one of the best defensive units in the NFL. The Broncos could have a future star in him or at the very least, a really good situational guy who could begin to provide big dividends this season.
Troy Franklin, WR, No. 102 overall pick in 2024 NFL Draft
Troy Franklin slipped a bit in last year's draft because many teams saw him as a bit too frail to hold up in the NFL, but the Broncos traded up in the fourth round to be able to get him and pair him with his college quarterback, Nix.
He had a rough summer for the team and fell down the depth chart before catching just 28 passes as a rookie. But the last time you saw the Broncos score a touchdown — the only one they had in their playoff loss to Buffalo — it was being made by Franklin.
Troy Franklin with the touchdown from Bo Nix to start the game, Broncos start off hot vs Bills 👀 pic.twitter.com/zbKgZXvgwu
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) January 12, 2025
Franklin came on towards the end of the season and capped it off with that long touchdown in the Wild Card game. Hopefully, that momentum can continue into this season and he starts to make the kinds of plays he did in college at Oregon with Nix.
Devaughn Vele, WR, No. 235 overall pick in 2024 NFL Draft
Devaughn Vele was one of the bigger surprises in the whole league last year. The seventh-round pick was taken as extra depth and a player who most felt would be battling for a spot on the practice squad. But early on in training camp, reports came out that he was way ahead of Franklin in his development.
That carried over into the season as Vele was on the field much more often than Franklin and he finished his rookie season with 41 catches for 475 yards and three touchdowns.
The only big move the Broncos made at the wide receiver position this offseason was to use a third-round pick on Pat Bryant, meaning the group will look similar to how it did last year. There is a strong chance that Vele opens the season as the team's No. 2 wide receiver, meaning he will be one of the top targets in the passing game for Nix for a second year in a row and likely, going forward.
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