Report: Broncos thought RJ Harvey was the next best running back in the draft behind Ashton Jeanty

According to a report, the Broncos viewed Harvey as the next best running back in the draft behind Ashton Jeanty.

When the Broncos selected running back RJ Harvey in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, many viewed it as a bit of a reach. There were other highly regarded backs available, it was a loaded running back class, and Harvey is an older rookie at 24 years old. However, a new report suggests the Broncos were very high on Harvey and even believed he was the next-best running back in this draft class behind Ashton Jeanty.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold, after watching hours of game film and doing all the work on the running backs in the class, they concluded that Harvey was the next best running back in he draft behind Ashton Jeanty.

After conducting a deep dive for information, watching hours of game film and crunching the numbers, the Denver Broncos concluded that UCF’s RJ Harvey was the best running back not named Ashton Jeanty in the 2025 NFL draft. So when they were ready to make their second-round pick (No. 60 overall) on Day 2 of the draft, the decision was easy.

If true, that means the Broncos graded Harvey higher than Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, Kaleb Johnson, and every other running back in the draft not named Ashton Jeanty.

At the end of the day, Jeanty would go 6th overall to the rival Las Vegas Raiders, and the Broncos would never have a realistic chance of drafting the top running back in the draft. However, they were still able to land Harvey in the second round after not one, but two trades. This also includes them selecting cornerback Jahdae Barron in the first round, who was likely a top 10 player on their board, while also getting their RB2 in the second round. All-in-all, that’s a pretty successful first and second round for the Broncos (If all of this is true, of course).

Harvey is a short but muscular running back who was one of the more explosive backs in the entire draft. He has 4.4 speed, was incredibly productive in college, and has a chance to thrive and be very productive in Sean Payton’s offense. His track record with offensive playmakers whom he has drafted speaks for itself, and we should see Harvey be a vital part of this offense. He is not only a big play threat as a runner, but he has a chance to thrive as a pass catcher in Payton’s offense. His explosive play, vision, and ability to make defenders miss make him a dangerous threat in the open field.

A running game was the big piece missing in the Broncos’ offense last season, and I think Harvey can solve that in a big way this upcoming season. He has the ‘Joker’ traits that Payton values in a running back and should help the offense and second-year quarterback Bo Nix reach new heights this upcoming season.