The Denver Broncos have a young quarterback with a live arm in Bo Nix — more importantly they have a quarterback who has shown he can take whatever you put in front of him and make it work.
Undrafted free agents? No problem. Seventh round picks? No problem. Seemingly washed-up former Pro Bowlers? No problem! Nix likes to spread the ball around and get everyone involved — a good sign the Broncos will only continue to surround him with weapons every chance they get.
Athlon Sports’ Luke Easterling predicts the Broncos will add even more pass-catching talent in the 2025 NFL draft, where he has them taking 6-foot-4, 217-pound Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins in the third round (No. 85 overall) of his latest mock draft.
“Higgins is a talented contested catch receiver and ball tracker,” Bleacher Report’s Dame Parson wrote. “He is savvy; staying patient and calm as the football is descending. His hands are soft and reliable to pluck the ball away from his frame. Higgins has excelled in contested catch situations his entire collegiate career. He is a good red-zone threat because of his height, wingspan, and timing. Tracks the ball calmly and poise while flashing late hands to make the catch.”
Nix breathed new life into the Broncos’ passing game in 2024 as he led his team to a 10-7 regular season record and its first playoff berth since the 2015 season — wide receiver Courtland Sutton had the first 1,000-yard season for Denver since 2019.
Transfer Opened Higgins’ Path to NFL
Higgins had an abbreviated senior season of high school football at Westminster Christian in Palmetto Bay, Florida, due to the pandemic. He spent the first 2 seasons of his college career at Eastern Kentucky, where he had 87 receptions for 1,151 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022 and 2023, including a breakout season with 58 receptions for 757 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore.
Higgins’ big year led him to a Power Four school at Iowa State, where he only continued to put up big numbers.
Over 2 seasons with the Cyclones, Higgins had 140 receptions for 2,166 yards and 15 touchdowns, including 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2024. Higgins was a 2-time All-Big 12 selection and also set a school record with 7 consecutive games with a touchdown reception — he also had at least 1 reception in all 26 games he played for Iowa State and finished his career with 28 touchdown receptions.
Broncos Might Be All Stocked Up at Wide Receiver
With Sutton under contract for just 1 more season — he’s due $14 million in 2025 — the Broncos are going to have to probably pay big money to keep him around after that. If Sutton has another big year in 2025, that could mean something along the lines of a 2-year, $40 million contract.
The Broncos also went big on wide receivers in the 2024 NFL draft, where they selected 2 wide receivers with Oregon’s Troy Franklin in the fourth round (No. 102 overall) and Utah’s Devaughn Vele in the seventh round (No. 235 overall).
Of those 2, both showed glimpses of potential as rookies but it’s Vele who looks like he could eventually be a star — the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Utah product had 41 receptions for 475 yards and 3 touchdowns as a rookie.
