NFL Will Regret Letting Denver Broncos Get Away with This…

The 2025 NFL Draft will be remembered for a lot of things: bold trades, surprise first-round selections, and the usual quarterback drama. But perhaps the most quietly seismic event was how the Denver Broncos absolutely stole the show in the later rounds. While mock draft “experts” sulked in their basements, watching their projections crumble, Denver’s front office—led by head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton—executed one of the most savvy, future-proof draft performances in recent memory.

Forget the flash and first-round headlines. What the Broncos did from Rounds 2 through 4 was build a foundation that not only complements an already-talented roster, but future-proofs it in anticipation of cap space issues, expiring contracts, and veteran turnover. It’s no wonder former Pro Football Focus editors and seasoned analysts are calling Denver the team that quietly ran away with the draft.

Let’s start with the name everyone is buzzing about:

Quay Robinson, the fourth-round edge rusher out of Alabama. At 6’4″, with SEC experience, freakish strength, and a relentless motor, Robinson should never have been available this late. But thanks to an elbow injury that limited him to just seven games in 2024, teams got skittish. Denver didn’t blink. And now they have a pass-rushing gem who learned behind top picks like Dallas Turner and Will Anderson, and was voted the best teammate by his Crimson Tide peers.

Does he need refinement? Absolutely. His bend and anticipation in pass-rush situations aren’t elite yet. But that’s why you stash him in a deep platoon rotation featuring Nick Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper, Dandre Tilman, and Jonah Ellis. Payton doesn’t need Quay to dominate right now—he just needs him to grow into it. And with Denver’s defensive line depth, he’ll have the time to do just that.

Then there’s Sevion Jones, another defensive lineman who fell into Denver’s lap after they traded up to pick No. 101. A rare physical specimen out of LSU, Jones graded in the top 1% of over 2,200 defensive linemen in the RAS (Relative Athletic Score) test. At 6’5″, 280 lbs, with the motor of a runaway freight train, Jones is already drawing comparisons to Zach Allen. And here’s the kicker: this is Sean Payton’s first ever LSU draft pick. That alone should tell you how highly he values Jones.

Analysts speculate that between Jones and Robinson, one of them will be a “start tomorrow” guy, and the other could become a future All-Pro. Either way, Denver just added two SEC-proven trench warriors to an already elite defense that now includes Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw. Good luck running on this unit, AFC West.

Let’s not forget about Pat Bryant, the wide receiver out of Illinois who had scouts scratching their heads. Why? Because he was pegged as a sixth-rounder in most mocks, yet Denver snatched him up much earlier. Critics cried “reach,” but Broncos fans heard something else: Sean Payton saying “He reminds me of Michael Thomas.” That’s not a throwaway line—that’s a headline.

Bryant played in an anemic Illinois offense with quarterback play so forgettable that even diehard Big Ten fans couldn’t name the starter. Yet Bryant still led the team in touchdowns and made clutch, contested catches week after week. His toe-tap ability in the back of the end zone is already making waves on film. If there’s one coach who knows how to turn an underrated receiver into a Pro Bowl machine, it’s Sean Payton.

And let’s not sleep on the larger vision here. Payton and Paton weren’t swinging for the fences. This roster is mostly set. What they were doing was planning ahead—strategically. With Nick Bonitto, Zach Allen, and others due for new contracts soon, Denver is building its next wave of contributors now, not later. When those veterans inevitably price themselves out, these young guns will be ready to step in without a drop in production.

This is how you build dynasties—not with splashy trades or reckless spending, but with smart, patient, culture-first drafting. And speaking of culture, Denver drafted not one, not two, but three team captains. These aren’t just athletes. These are locker room leaders, tone-setters, and culture enforcers. Payton doesn’t want to micromanage the culture—he wants it to sustain itself. And now he’s got the personnel to do it.

Mock drafts don’t win games. The trenches do. Leadership does. Depth does. And Denver has all three in spades after this draft. You can laugh at Sean Payton now, just like they laughed when the Broncos took Quinn Meinerz, who’s now arguably the best guard in football. But history has a funny way of proving the boldest teams right.

The rest of the NFL might not realize it yet, but they let the Broncos get away with grand larceny in this draft.

And they’re going to regret it.