The Denver Broncos found their franchise quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft when they used their first-round pick on Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. But the most interesting pick the team made after that was his college teammate, Troy Franklin.
The Broncos traded up 19 spots in the fourth round to get Franklin. Can you take your mind back to last summer to remember some of the things that were being reported in training camp?
- Troy Franklin is having trouble with the playbook
- Troy Franklin is well behind fellow rookie Devaughn Vele
- Troy Franklin is on the roster bubble and might not even make the team
Well, that can all be thrown out the window this summer.
Franklin, who capped the 2024 season by scoring the team's only touchdown in the Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills, looked more than ready at the team's mandatory minicamp.
Here's what Nick Kosmider of The Athletic had to say in regards to how Franklin is looking:
"The padless practices of May and June have a way of showcasing the game’s skill-position players and those tasked with defending them. It is difficult to gauge how well a tight end is executing his chip blocks or whether a running back is producing enough force to break through would-be tackles during helmet-and-shorts workouts.
Even with that caveat firmly established, second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin stood out in a major way the past three weeks. The 22-year-old speedster was last seen hauling in a 43-yard touchdown to kick-start Denver’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills — the only touchdown the Broncos scored in a 31-7 loss — but Franklin had an up-and-down journey to that highlight. Franklin routinely created separation, much like he did while playing with Nix for two seasons at Oregon, but he struggled to finish plays. His explosive-play ability after the catch was hampered at times by indecisiveness in the open field. Those issues were evident even before pads came on last year.
That was all markedly different this offseason. Payton has talked routinely about wanting to put Franklin in positions where the offense can benefit from his ability to make gains after the catch, and the receiver was notably fluid in that regard during practices over the past month. The catch and dynamic next step often looked like one motion instead of a series of separate moves and decisions. It has all made Franklin look, well, faster."
Not every rookie finds immediate success in the NFL, no matter how good they were in college. Franklin took some time, but fans should be confident that he's starting to find a good rhythm and the familiarity of playing with the quarterback that helped make him successful in college has always and will always be to his benefit.
The Broncos have Courtland Sutton and a young group of wide receivers behind him. Sean Payton is going to be looking for players to step up and while Vele and third-round pick Pat Bryant have gotten a lot of attention this offseason, Franklin has been, quite frankly, slept on.
That should change soon.
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