Broncos HC Sean Payton: Running back will be a ‘focus’ in 2025 NFL Draft

Second-year quarterback Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos are on the rise, but no offense is perfect. Where can the Broncos get better in the 2025 NFL Draft? Head coach Sean Payton provided an answer.

“There’s two great allies to help quarterback play; it’s [a] real good defense and, obviously, a real, good running game. … there will be [a] focus on the running back position [in the draft]. It’s a pretty good draft for running backs,” Payton said at a press conference Thursday.

Last season, the Broncos averaged 112.2 rushing yards per game, good for 16th in the NFL. Nix was the team’s No. 2 rusher with 430 yards on the ground and tied for first with four rushing touchdowns. Javonte Williams — who rushed for a team-high 513 yards — signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys in March.

Denver’s running back room is currently made up of Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime — who rushed for 4.1 yards per carry in his 2024 rookie campaign — Blake Watson and Tyler Badie. Watson and Badie have a combined 16 career rushing attempts.

Regarding Days 1 and 2 of the draft, Denver owns picks 20, 51 and 85. Would it take a back in the first round, such as Boise State running back and 2024 Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty — should he slide to No. 20?

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“I think it’s all about your vision and your vision for the player,” Payton said when asked about the logic in drafting a running back in the first round. “I think there is this feeling often times that there are certain positions that may be more available in the offseason than others. And yet, you have to look at the ability. … I think if you have a real clear vision for how you want to use them, I think it’s just the team’s feeling for how good that player is and what type of career we think he can have.

“And then sometimes it’s just the way the draft unfolds. Sometimes [when] you don’t take one, it’s not because you don’t want to take one, it’s just that maybe another position landed in your lap. So a lot of it is your team and then the players specifically.”

Other running backs who could be drafted near the end of the first round or early on Day 2 include Ohio State‘s Quinshon Judkins, North Carolina‘s Omarion Hampton, Arizona State‘s Cameron Skattebo and Iowa‘s Kaleb Johnson, among others.

The Broncos’ offseason has been primarily based on improving on the defensive side of the ball, with them signing former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw and 2022 All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga on three-year deals apiece and re-signing defensive tackle D.J. Jones to a three-year deal, among other moves. Denver’s biggest offensive move has come in the form of signing former Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram to a two-year, $23 million deal.

Payton is entering his third season as Denver’s head coach, with the franchise going 8-9 and missing the playoffs in 2023 but going 10-7 and earning a wild-card berth in 2024.

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