Jonah Coleman looks like a first-round running back during training camp

The Denver Broncos traded the 30th overall pick this offseason to acquire Jaylen Waddle. It was a move that made the roster better immediately and addressed a long-standing need in the passing game. But as training camp progresses, a quieter story is emerging from the practice field, one that suggests the Broncos may have found a first-round caliber player without spending a first-round pick at all.

On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Cecil Lammey could barely contain his enthusiasm about fourth-round selection Jonah Coleman, the running back out of Washington who the Broncos took with the 108th pick.

Lammey didn’t ease into the evaluation. He led with the headline.

“Jonah Coleman looks better early on, better than I thought he would. And brother, I would’ve taken him at 30,” Lammey said.

That’s not a casual compliment. That is a wholesale re-evaluation of a player’s draft grade based on what is happening in real time on the practice field. The Broncos used pick No. 30 to bring in Waddle. Lammey is saying he would have been comfortable using that same selection on Coleman, and feeling good about it.

He doubled down to make sure the point landed.

,”I would’ve taken him at 30. We would’ve been looking at a first-round running back. When I see Jonah Coleman, I see a first-round running back,” Lammey said.

Then he raised the bar even higher.

“And brother, he’s performing better than that. He’s performing better than a guy that I would have taken at 30,” Lammey said.

The specifics of what Coleman has shown at camp are what make the projection feel grounded rather than reactionary. He isn’t just breaking off chunk runs and looking explosive in the open field, although he is doing that, as well. He is doing the little things that separate legitimate NFL backs from camp heroes.

Getting out in front and blocking. Selling play-action fakes at a level that helps the entire passing game. Running routes out of the backfield and hauling in completions that showcase his versatility as a pass catcher. The complete picture is what has Lammey’s attention, not just the splash plays.

Lammey then summarized the totality of what he has witnessed.

“We’re 10 days into training camp but Jonah Coleman looks like the best back on the field every single day,” Lammey said.

That is a statement that has real implications for the running back depth chart. J.K. Dobbins remains the presumptive starter, but his injury history is well-documented and the possibility of missed time is something the organization has to plan for. If Dobbins goes down, a scenario that has played out in multiple previous seasons, the next man up may no longer be R.J. Harvey. It might be the fourth-round rookie who has been outperforming everyone at his position since the first day of camp.

The Broncos traded their first-round pick for Waddle and don’t appear to have missed a beat. If Coleman continues on this trajectory, Denver may have found itself a first-round talent 78 picks later, and that’s the kind of draft-day efficiency that separates good franchises from championship-caliber ones.

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