NFL Will Regret Letting the Denver Broncos Get Away with This

The 2025 NFL Draft may go down as one of the great heists in recent league history—and the culprits? None other than your Denver Broncos. While pundits scramble to salvage what’s left of their busted mock drafts, one thing is crystal clear: the Broncos absolutely stole this draft. Ignore the basement-dwelling critics and draft grade warriors. Listen instead to the insiders, former scouts, and NFL analysts who are now singing a different tune: Denver just pulled off something special.

Head coach Sean Payton couldn’t be happier, and for good reason. This wasn’t a team desperately searching for a savior—it was a front office meticulously filling out an already solid roster. The Broncos weren’t swinging for home runs; they were stacking double after double, adding depth and character with almost every selection. And if early evaluations are to be believed, Denver may have landed multiple starters and future stars—all without even holding a top-10 pick.

Let’s start with the late-round masterpiece: fourth-round pick Quay Robinson, a 6’4″ edge rusher out of Alabama. It’s hard to overstate how much value this pick brings. Robinson’s draft stock slipped due to a late-season elbow injury, but make no mistake—this is a top-100 talent who was coached by and competed alongside NFL-ready players like Dallas Turner and Will Anderson. Analysts are already comparing Robinson’s upside to Nick Bonitto, the Broncos’ sack leader last season. The SEC pedigree? Check. Motor? Check. Teammate endorsement? Voted best teammate at Bama. He’s raw, sure, but under Denver’s system and with that pass-rushing platoon around him, he’s got time to develop into a monster.

Then there’s Sevion Jones, a defensive lineman from LSU with a rare combination of size, speed, and football IQ. Payton and GM George Paton joked pre-draft about one guy who could play tomorrow and another who might become an All-Pro in two years. Jones could be either—or both. At 6’5″ and 280 pounds, he ranks in the top 1% of all defensive linemen in athletic testing and has a motor that mirrors veteran standout Zach Allen. In a defense already stacked with talent, Jones adds not just depth but potential dominance.

And how about the offensive side of the ball? Critics called the Broncos’ selection of Pat Bryant a reach, but those same critics laughed when Denver drafted Quinn Meinerz—a pick that now looks genius. Bryant, the Illinois wideout, flew under the radar due to poor combine numbers, but when you turn on the tape, he just pops. Reliable hands (only two drops in college), high football IQ, elite blocking, and—most importantly—a route tree far more developed than your average rookie. Sean Payton compared him to Michael Thomas, his old New Orleans star. That’s not a comparison tossed around lightly.

Bryant isn’t just a depth receiver. With Lil’Jordan Humphrey no longer in town, Bryant is stepping directly into a role where blocking and route running are key. And if you watched Big Ten football last year, you know he was producing against elite defenses like Michigan and Ohio State—with quarterbacks whose names nobody can even remember.

Beyond individual picks, this draft shows us something much bigger: a return to form in Denver. Sean Payton and George Paton are building a sustainable winner—one led by high-character captains, SEC-tested warriors, and smart, physical football players. Three of the Broncos’ first four picks were team captains. That’s not a coincidence. Payton doesn’t want to micromanage the locker room; he’s drafting guys who are the culture.

Let’s also not forget about the value adds. Denver added a potential special teams weapon and further solidified a defensive line that was already formidable. They now boast a terrifying edge rotation including Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Dondre Tillman—and now Quay Robinson. That’s depth and impact. That’s a return to the “platoon pass rush” days.

This isn’t just fan hype either. Dan Orlovsky called Denver’s secondary “absolutely redonkulous.” A former Pro Football Focus editor said the Broncos are now his go-to team for hidden gems. TikTok draft heads are calling Robinson the sleeper pick. And that’s before we even get to undrafted free agents—Payton’s specialty. He’s one of the few coaches known for personally calling undrafted players, and the result has been steals like Lavell Bailey in past years.

The Broncos’ draft wasn’t flashy, but it was ruthless. It was intentional. It was Payton doing what he does best—building rosters, not just collecting names.

So yes, the NFL will regret letting the Denver Broncos get away with this. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But when Quay Robinson is burying quarterbacks and Pat Bryant is dragging cornerbacks on third-and-7, we’ll all remember how Denver took a so-called average draft slot and turned it into pure gold.

Broncos Country, let’s ride.

Which of Denver’s new rookies are you most excited to watch this preseason?