The Denver Broncos signed an elite tight end in the 2025 free agency cycle with 2-time Pro Bowler Evan Engram — someone who should fill head coach Sean Payton’s “Joker” position for all intents and purposes.
Leading rusher Javonte Williams is gone to the Dallas Cowboys in free agency and wasn’t replaced in free agency, meaning the Broncos could be looking to add a running back in the NFL draft.
For the first time in a long time there’s a premium on elite running backs coming out of college, thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles riding running back Saquon Barkley to a 14-3 regular-season record and Super Bowl win in 2024. Unfortunately for the Broncos, the 2 prospects with first round grades — Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton — could both be off the board by the time we get to Denver’s No. 20 pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
That scenario puts the Broncos firmly in “best available player” territory, which ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicts will land them All-American Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan in his latest mock draft.
“Instead (of running back), the Broncos can focus on another hole in the offense around quarterback Bo Nix at wide receiver,” Kiper Jr. wrote. “McMillan would give Nix a sure-handed jump-ball artist who uses his great body control and physicality to make tough catches. He broke 1,300 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons. Pairing him with Courtland Sutton and new tight end Evan Engram would give opponents some game-planning nightmares.”
McMillan Draws Comparisons to Some of NFL’s Best
The Broncos already have one elite wide receiver in Sutton, who is coming off the second 1,000-yard season of his career.
McMillan has the potential to be a game changer wherever he lands. Bleacher Report’s Dame Parson and NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared him to both Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins — 2 of the NFL’s very best at the position.
“Possession receiver with the size and ball skills to create big wins deep,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s a linear route-runner who wears press coverage early and coasts too often on deep routes, but he has a feel for uncovering underneath and can play over the top of cornerbacks for easier jump-ball wins. McMillan is instinctive with a feel for adjusting his routes and working back on throws to make the quarterback’s job easier.”
McMillan Dominated Opponents for Last Two Seasons
While the Arizona Wildcats fell flat in 2024 by going from a preseason Top 25 team to finishing with a 4-8 record in their first season in the Big 12, McMillan has been unstoppable from almost the moment he stepped on campus.
In 3 seasons with the Wildcats, McMillan had 213 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns, including consecutive seasons with at least 1,300 receiving yards in 2023 and 2024. McMillan was an All-Pac-12 pick in 2023 and an All-Big 12 pick and All-American in 2024.
McMillan, 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, had a game for the ages to kick off the 2024 season with 10 receptions for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 61-39 win over New Mexico.
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