The Denver Broncos ended a nearly decade-long playoff drought last season courtesy of rookie quarterback Bo Nix. He threw for 29 passing touchdowns, setting a franchise rookie record and recording the second most by a rookie QB in NFL history.
But if the Broncos want to go further than the Wild Card Round next season, they need to upgrade their offense, which ranked 16th on PFSN’s Offense+ metric last year. PFSN’s latest mock draft predicts they go for an up-and-coming player, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
Broncos Predicted To Add Ashton Jeanty to Bo Nix’s Arsenal in 2025 NFL Draft
The Broncos seemed to be in line for one of the biggest shockers in recent playoff history when they took on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round. Of course, that moment was fleeting, as Denver didn’t score again after Nix’s 43-yard strike to Troy Franklin on the opening drive that gave the Broncos an early 7-0 lead.
Denver’s offense ended up with its third-worst grade of the season at 65.9 (D-). They protected Nix well during the regular season, allowing the second-lowest non-blitz pressure rate (24%) despite the rookie’s ninth-longest average time to throw (2.8 seconds). But against Buffalo, the Broncos fell apart and allowed a season-worst 50% non-blitz pressure rate.
Still, the 2024 Broncos were ahead of schedule, and snapping the team’s eight-season playoff drought qualifies as a huge success. Nix had impressive moments in the latter half of the year, and the arrow is pointing up entering 2025, but Denver needs to upgrade the talent around him, especially the running back room, to balance out the offensive attack more.
That’s why PFSN’s Brentley Weissman predicts they will pick Jeanty as the 20th overall pick in his latest mock draft.
“The Broncos found their quarterback of the future in Nix and now the team must do everything it can to properly build around him.
“Jeanty is a top-five player in this class for me and is a true difference-maker at running back, capable of changing games with his ability to hit explosive runs. Denver’s running game was putrid last season, and the team lacks juice in the backfield — this feels like a match made in heaven.”
READ MORE: Weissman’s 2025 NFL Mock Draft — Titans Make Surprise Pick at No. 1, Giants Grab Ward, and More
Few running backs in recent memory have entered the NFL Draft with as much hype as Jeanty — and with good reason. Jeanty offers outstanding playmaking ability and has the game-breaking attributes to justify a team spending high draft capital on a non-priority position.
Jeanty’s Current Draft Projection and Summary
The following section comes from Weissman’s draft projection and summary for Jeanty; to read more, go here: Ashton Jeanty NFL Draft Hub — Scouting Report, Player Profile, Projection, and More
“Jeanty offsets his average size with outstanding speed, burst, and vision. Jeanty is a short running back but has a dense build with a sturdy lower body. While not possessing imposing size, Jeanty has rare contact balance and can easily bounce off would-be tacklers without losing speed or balance.
“The RB is a scheme-versatile back who can excel in power and gap schemes or a wide-zone-oriented offense. Jeanty displays outstanding vision as a zone runner and can quickly scan and diagnose the crease while pressing horizontally. He runs with excellent patience and allows his blockers to set up, then he displays rare acceleration to burst through the gap or hole.
Ashton Jeanty is so much more than just a running back.
He is one of the best receiving back prospects of All-Time.
Think of a runner like Saquon, with the hands and ability out of the backfield as C-MAC
He is absolutely worth a top 10 pick.
— CJ (@Th3GhostRaider) February 14, 2025
“Jeanty has an innate ability to make himself untouchable for defenders and is one of the most elusive and slippier backs I have ever scouted. He runs with rare instincts for the position, seemingly always two steps ahead of the defender and consistently setting him up to fail.
“In the passing game, Jeanty displays good overall hands and is a reliable target on screens, wheel, and rail routes. However, he doesn’t have an array of routes in his bag and wouldn’t be a player teams would want to split outside. Jeanty is a willing pass protector, but his lack of strength and length limits his ability to consistently win at the point of attack.
“Overall, Jeanty is a rare playmaker at the position who does all the little things well while also offering game-breaking home-run ability, and that’s what exactly Denver and Nix need.”
