Friday’s draft movement by the Denver Broncos was a wild one, with George Paton and Sean Payton trading back twice in the second round of the NFL Draft, while moving up in the third and fourth rounds and acquiring an additional fourth-round pick. With all of the movement, the Broncos land themselves a running back in the second round.
Denver Broncos draft RJ Harvey with the 60th overall pick in the NFL Draft
After taking Texas Longhorns cornerback Jahdae Barron in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft at a premium, the Broncos’ brain-trust of Payton and Paton strategized their approach to add depth at a quality juncture of the draft. In return, they drafted Central Florida running back RJ Harvey with the 60th overall pick.
Welcome to Denver RJ Harvey 🔥
pic.twitter.com/GoJaMXLshB— Kevin (@SleepyKev5) April 26, 2025
Harvey is coming off a dominant season this past year in the Big 12, rushing for 1577 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground in 12 games.
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Here’s how it happened.
Broncos traded to Panthers:
- Round 2, Pick 51
- Round 3, Pick 85
- Round 4, Pick 122
- Round 6, Pick 208
Broncos received from Panthers:
- Round 2, Pick 57
- Round 3, Pick 74
- Round 4, Pick 111
- Round 7, Pick 230
Denver wasn’t done making moves after that. They traded back with the Detroit Lions just before they were about to pick at 57th overall.
Broncos traded to Lions:
- Round 2, Pick 57
- Round 7, Pick 230
Broncos received from Lions:
- Round 2, Pick 60
- Round 4, Pick 130
Ultimately, Denver moved down in Round 2, but moved up in Rounds 3 and 4 while receiving an additional fourth-round pick.
Harvey joins the Broncos running back room that already features Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, Blake Watson, and Tyler Badie. At 5’8, 205 pounds, Harvey is a versatile weapon that is explosive on the ground with legitimate 4.4 speed, and he can be an effective pass catcher out of the backfield and is bulky enough to absorb the contact.
Stay tuned in the next 24 hours for a film breakdown on him.