Could Broncos surprise by adding an early-round target for Bo Nix in the draft?

The Broncos appear to have the door open to an extension with Courtland Sutton. They have some intriguing young talent on hand in 2024 draft picks Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, along with 2023 second-round choice Marvin Mims Jr., a talent they figured out how to optimize in the second half of last season.

They also have returning practice-squad receiver A.T. Perry, a 2023 Day 3 pick that current Broncos assistant coach Pete Carmichael was developing in New Orleans in 2023 before being fired; he unexpectedly had the chance to resume the Wake Forest product’s growth last year when the Saints tried to pass Perry through to their practice squad and he chose not to return.

All have potential. All are intriguing. Perry and Mims are closer to the fork-in-the-road moment of Year Three than Franklin and Vele are.

But that doesn’t mean that any should feel comfortable. And while this year’s crop of receivers in the draft doesn’t stack up to others in recent classes, there is talent to be had — and talent that the Broncos appear to be investigating.

LIKELY BRONCOS RANGE:

DAY 3


The Broncos have taken a look at some potential first-round wide receivers, evidenced by some of the players they’ve welcomed among their 30 visits, particularly Missouri’s Luther Burden III and Texas’ Matthew Golden.

POTENTIAL BRONCOS FITS:

Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona: Of the potential Round 1 wide receivers, “T-Mac” is the best skill-set and size fit for the Broncos; he’s the tallest (6-foot-4) and longest (31 3/4-inch arms and a 78 1/8-inch wingspan). He uses his frame well, catches the ball with his hands — not his body — will get involved as a blocker and will pick up yardage in a hurry in the open field with his long stride. His timed speed doesn’t wow you, but he makes up for it with his stride.

Luther Burden III, Missouri: He doesn’t fit the height and length template of a Sean Payton receiver, but his speed, quickness, ball-tracking ability and dynamic play-making talent make up for it. If you wanted Deebo Samuel earlier this offseason, Burden is a newer, fresher and perhaps better — and certainly more cap-friendly — version, perhaps Deebo 2.0. The only issue would be finding snaps and opportunities for both Burden and Mims, as there would be some crossover on the Venn diagram between the two in both skillset and style. Thus, it might not fit to have the two of them in the same room. But the possibilities would be intriguing.

Tez Johnson, Oregon: Bo Nix’s brother and former Ducks teammate would come aboard with supreme cohesion and connection with the quarterback. He doesn’t fit the mold of a Sean Payton receiver, and with a 4.51-second 40-yard dash time and a 154-pound frame, there are teams that may cross him off their list. But he plays quicker and faster than that time, and as he demonstrated during Senior Bowl week, Johnson simply gets open — as the cliché goes, he’s like 7-11: always open. He has slot-machine potential.


Isaac TeSlaa, Arkansas: Terrific at making catches in traffic with good body control and outstanding ball-tracking ability, he’s one of the players with whom the Broncos have reportedly had virtual visits. In two seasons at Arkansas, the sure-handed TeSlaa was targeted 62 times and didn’t drop a single pass, per Pro Football Focus data.

NAMES TO KNOW:

DAY 1:

Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
Luther Burden III, Missouri
Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Matthew Golden, Texas

DAY 2:

Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
Jalen Royals, Utah State
Kyle Willams, Washington State
Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Jack Bech, TCU
Tre Harris, Mississippi

DAY 2/3:

Isaiah Bond, Texas
Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech
Eric Ayomanor, Stanford
Savion Williams, TCU

DAY 3:

Tory Horton, Colorado State
Tez Johnson, Oregon
Tai Felton, Maryland
Donte Thornton, Jr., Tennessee
Nick Nash, San José State
Chimere Dike, Florida
Isaac TeSlaa, Arkansas
Keandre Lambert-Smith, Auburn
Pat Bryant, Illinois
Ricky White III, UNLV
Arian Smith, Georgia
Jimmy Horn Jr., Colorado
Jordan Watkins, Mississippi
Isaiah Neyor, Nebraska
LaJohntay Wester, Colorado
Bru McCoy, Tennessee
Xavier Restrepo, Miami (Fla.)

SLEEPER TO WATCH:

NICK NASH, SAN JOSE STATE: The Broncos aren’t afraid of older prospects, as they showed with Devaughn Vele last year, so maybe they’ll take a second look at the productive Nash, who turns 26 in July and spent seven seasons with the Spartans. caught more touchdown passes than anyone else in FBS last year (16) and took the long way to becoming a wide receiver, first working at quarterback before switching. That experience allows him to attack his route-running with a passer’s mindset; he has a knack for quickly diagnosing coverage and adapting his route to what is presented to him. He could become a quarterback’s best friend as a short to intermediate target who keeps the chains moving.

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