For months, NFL evaluators have lamented the lack of top-end talent in this 2025 draft class. The pro: There’s an overwhelming amount of depth at tight end and running back, the playmaking spots head coach Sean Payton has targeted since taking a podium back at February’s NFL combine. The con: There’s a clear top tier at both positions that could be gone by the time Denver’s No. 20 first-round pick rolls around April 24.

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty is a fever dream at this point, a candidate to be snapped up by the Las Vegas Raiders at pick No. 6. Denver’s gone mostly quiet on Penn State TE Tyler Warren, who the New York Jets are high on at No. 7, a source told The Denver Post. Even North Carolina back Omarion Hampton, widely connected to Denver, is seeing his public stock rise well into the first round.

The Broncos are stuck looking for a fit somewhere between their No. 20 and No. 51 slots. Their first-round pick is likely too low to land a top-graded RB or TE. Their second-round pick is likely too low to wait for the next tier to roll around.

The crop of receivers available in the first round, though, could be just right.

Arizona’s 6-foot-4 gamebreaker Tetairoa McMillan is the type of big-bodied receiver Payton loves. Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka possesses toughness over the middle and as a blocker, that would be perfect for Payton’s system. The Broncos have done due diligence on Texas’ projected first-round pick Matthew Golden, a burner who the Broncos hosted on a top-30 visit recently, according to a source.

“Those are guys that I’m thinking, okay, right there at 20, would be in the conversation, ‘Are we going to take them or not?'” said CBS draft analyst Charles Davis.

Even after gambling significant resources to trade up and nab Troy Franklin in the fourth round last year, there’s ample reason for the Broncos to reach high on a wideout next week in Green Bay. They poked around at the available free-agent crop last month but didn’t sign anyone and also lost Payton favorite Lil’Jordan Humphrey to the New York Giants. There’s little WR1 production or potential in the room besides veteran Courtland Sutton, whose contract situation dangles in the balance.

On the flip side, though, Sutton told The Post Saturday he believed extension talks were “working in the right direction,” and he hoped to be in Denver the rest of his career. The organization, too, is high on the development of youngsters Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr. And the Broncos are looking extensively, well beyond prioritizing the first round, at a slew of potential mid-to-late-round fits at receiver.

The Post has reported Denver’s held post-combine conversations with Maryland’s Tai Felton, Georgia’s Arian Smith and Arkansas’ Isaac TeSlaa. Here are a few other sleeper names that the Broncos have checked in on.

Traeshon Holden, Oregon: Another former teammate of quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos met with Holden at Oregon’s pro day in mid-March, a source told The Post. The 6-foot-2 Holden doesn’t have blazing speed, but he’s a solid red-zone threat.

Kobe Hudson, UCF: Hudson would bring proven production, with three straight years of 600-plus yards at UCF. He was excellent, too, at intermediate routes over the middle in 2024, a solid fit for Payton. Hudson did a Zoom with the Broncos on March 31, a source said.

Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State: A ready-made slot receiver who could fall undrafted because of his stature (5-foot-8), the sure-handed Presley caught 190 passes across the past two years at Oklahoma State. A source told The Post that a Broncos scout contacted Presley on Monday and told him the organization sees him as a late-round or priority free agent (PFA) talent.

Giles Jackson, Washington: A six-year veteran in collegiate football, Jackson’s another potential PFA option in the slot and is an extremely sure-handed target. He’s dropped exactly three passes in 205 collegiate targets, according to Pro Football Focus. The Broncos have had a video conference with Jackson.

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How likely do you think the Broncos will trade out of the No. 20 spot? I’m in the best-player-available camp after the pickups this offseason. If someone wants to give us several picks to move down, I think we have to jump on it. I’d love to have another third-rounder if that means we drop down to the bottom of the first or into the second round. What do you think?

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, thanks for writing in and for getting us going this week. The draft is, at long last, almost here. Next week, we settle in for three days that promise to be fascinating. The Broncos are set at quarterback, but this is a critical draft nonetheless — really, they all are.

Denver’s got its first four picks still in hand, the first time that’s been the case since 2021, George Paton’s first draft as the general manager. You’ll remember that class started out with Pat Surtain II, Javonte Williams, Quinn Meinerz and Baron Browning and finished with Jonathon Cooper in the seventh round. Two All-Pros, a cornerstone edge rusher and two now-departed regular starters beset by injury. Not too shabby.

Put simply: Denver’s got capital to move around the board with.

Do I think they’ll move out of the No. 20 spot? Impossible to say from here — there are so many moving pieces ahead of the Broncos on draft night — but there’s an interesting set of conditions brewing.

First, this is a good time for the caveat that teams have substantially more information than we do and, of course, they’ve got an entire staff of scouts, coaches and executives tasked with putting together a plan independent of whatever consensus is out there. We talk to as many people as we can, think through scenarios and possibilities, rely on people we trust, etc., but we still, at the end of the day, are looking in from the outside.

All that being said, let’s look in.

The Broncos could just stick and pick at No. 20. That’s probably the most likely scenario.

There’s plenty of reason to go your direction, Mike, and trade down. Several talented draft analysts think this is a year light on elite, top-end guys but filled with quality players. So at 20, if you’re past the top of the bell curve and into a pool of players that are graded similarly, it makes sense to want to move back a few spots, get a player of similar caliber and also pick up picks.

But if other teams have the draft pegged along a similar track, then why would they want to move up? That’s the practical inhibitor to moving back. It takes two to tango. The best bets from here seem like a team that is either quarterback or tackle needy and gets itchy to move up (or back into the first round) to get their guy.

Denver’s situated just ahead of Pittsburgh in the draft order and the Steelers could be in the QB market. So perhaps if a team wants to jump ahead of them, they’d at least call the Broncos and see what it would take.

Here’s the other inhibitor to moving back: Sean Payton. He’s never traded back in the first round. Not in Denver. Not in all of those years in New Orleans. Nada. Zilch.

The Broncos also haven’t traded back, period, since he’s been here. They moved up for Marvin Mims Jr., Riley Moss and Troy Franklin, but they haven’t moved back.

Heck, general manager George Paton last year said he would have had a cake ready to celebrate the occasion if Denver had traded out of No. 76, a move they were considering if Jonah Elliss hadn’t been available.

Paton likes the darts. Payton prefers to focus almost solely on the target.

So, long story short, the conditions ahead of the draft look ripe for teams around Denver’s position to want to try to trade down. History tells us a Sean Payton-led organization is much more likely to trade up.

I’ve seen several mock drafts that have Quinshon Judkins going to Denver in the second round. If we go that route, who would you like to see us pick in the first round?

— Marvin R., Fort Collins

Hey Marvin, that’s an interesting way to look at it. Let’s assume no trades and Judkins is the pick at No. 51. Cool, he’s a good back. There are a ton of them in this class.

In that scenario, conventional wisdom would be that you’re talking about having drafted a tight end or a defensive lineman in the first round. Maybe a surprise like safety Nick Emmanwori out of South Carolina.

But if you’re asking for ideal scenarios, let’s say Michigan TE Colston Loveland or Oregon DT Derrick Harmon.

With Judkins going at No. 51, the Broncos won’t be able to bank on getting a TE like LSU’s Mason Taylor or even Littleton native and former Oregon standout Terrance Ferguson in the third round. Maybe, but no guarantee. Loveland’s more of a pass-catcher than a blocker and he dealt with a shoulder injury last fall. All the same, he’s widely considered one of the best players in the class. Putting him in the same room as 31-year-old Evan Engram gives you security long term, and in the short term, it turns a weakness last year into a potentially serious strength this fall.

Harmon’s just a high-quality, disruptive defensive lineman. Denver’s stacked there this year but will almost certainly have significant reps to replace after the 2025 season. There are other defensive linemen who could go in a similar range if the Broncos prefer a slightly different flavor.

Is there any shot we land Ashton Jeanty or Omarion Hampton without having to trade up? Their stocks have been rising like crazy!

— Ryan, Lakewood

It’s possible, though almost assuredly not with Jeanty. He’s likely to be long gone by the time the Broncos pick No. 20.

You’ll find consensus that Hampton is a really good prospect and less agreement on exactly whether he’s a bonafide first-round grade or whether he’s more in line with the second wave of backs. Remember, there might only be 15 players in a draft class who any given team grades as a true first-round talent. This year, there could be even slightly fewer than that.

All the same, Hampton could well be gone by 20. Or he could be there and then you’re weighing him against a defensive tackle, tight end or traditionally premium position that’s more of a current strength on the Broncos’ roster like edge or corner.

Predictably, there’s been a lot of buzz about quarterbacks as the draft gets closer. If Miami’s Cam Ward goes No. 1 and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders goes somewhere in the top 10, it will be interesting to see if teams decide they don’t want to risk waiting until Day 2 for Ole Miss’ Jaxon Dart, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe or even Louisville’s Tyler Shough.

Quarterbacks always go early. The fifth year of control is important. And the value is so outsized if you find your guy. The higher and higher second and third contracts go, the more incentivized teams are to keep swinging in the draft, even with an elevated rate of misses.

The ideal situation for the Broncos is a mini run on quarterbacks either early or in the middle of the round. If the Giants go position player at No. 3 and want to get back into the first round? Great. The Los Angeles Rams want to move up from No. 24? Terrific. New Orleans wants to go that route at No. 9? The more the merrier. Any of that would push talent down toward Denver at No. 20.

Jeff Schmedding was announced as the new Broncos inside linebackers coach by The Denver Post and others on May 21, 2025. As of this writing, they have yet to officially acknowledge him on the Broncos’ own website. Why is that, and do we actually have him as a coach?

— Areferee, Greeley

Hey, Ref, you’re right that the Broncos haven’t officially acknowledged Schmedding’s hire online as of Tuesday afternoon, but I’m told he’s on staff and working as expected.

Payton didn’t directly talk about Schmedding at the NFL owners meetings because he wasn’t asked about him, but he did in a way point to the hire when he said, “I think we’re full” on the staff.

There were a lot of moving pieces this offseason for Payton, who said last month, “I felt like every time I left town, when I came back there was another coach gone.” Now the group’s in place and working with the front office and scouting departments to finalize the draft board.

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Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Signed Dre Greenlaw and re-signed Justin Strnad.

Under contract: Greenlaw (three years), Strnad (one year), Alex Singleton (one year), Drew Sanders (two years), Levelle Bailey (two years), K.J. Cloyd (two years)

Need scale (1-10): 4. Best-case scenario is the Broncos have depth inside this year and beyond. Greenlaw stays healthy and plays like one of the best in the business, Singleton bounces back from ACL surgery and Sanders puts it together in the middle of the field after settling in, at long last, to a supposedly permanent role. Of course, that’s not always the way it goes in the NFL. Still, Denver’s got a nice blend of proven production and developmental projects. The biggest risk at this point: Greenlaw, Singleton and Sanders have all dealt with major injuries. So, is ILB likely to be an early area to target? Not so much. But Denver’s always looking for athleticism and projectability, so a linebacker selection at some point along the way can’t be ruled out.

Top five

Jihaad Campbell, Alabama: A rangy athlete with good cover skills at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, Campbell could hear his name called in the first round. Some teams might like him on the edge, but he can be a difference-maker in coverage. Had 117 tackles (11.5 for loss) in 2024. Ran 4.52 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine (1.52 10-yard split) and looks like a sideline-to-sideline player.

Carson Schwesinger, UCLA: Burst onto the scene in 2024, his first season as a starter. Went from role player to first-team All-American. He always seems to find his way to the ball, leading to 136 tackles (8.5 for loss) in 12 games for the Bruins.

Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma: Not quite as big as the Broncos’ Drew Sanders, but Stutsman’s not entirely dissimilar at 6-3 and 233 pounds. He ran 4.52 in the 40 at the combine and is a really good athlete. A first-team All-American in 2024 with 110 tackles (eight for loss) at OU.

Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon: Started 43 games and appeared in 55 over four seasons for the Ducks, so he’s got major experience. Never put up eye-popping numbers, but that kind of consistency and time on task in a high-quality program will get NFL teams’ attention. Ran 4.63 in the 40 at the combine at 6-1 and 232 pounds.

Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss: Paul’s not very big at a shade under 6-1 and 222 pounds, but he was a consistent producer in the SEC for three seasons. He racked up 26 tackles in that span for Arkansas and then Ole Miss last fall. Could be an interesting mid-round developmental project for a team and a missile on special teams right away.

More Broncos options

Cody Simon, Ohio State: The Broncos are no stranger to Buckeye linebackers and Simon is a good one. He’s 6-2 and 229 pounds and is a sure tackler. The likely Day 3 pick racked up 112 tackles (12.5 for loss) and seven sacks (and seven passes defensed) in 2024 for the national champs.

Smael Mondon, Georgia: Mondon’s athleticism stands out at 6-2 and 224 pounds. He ran 4.58 in the 40 at the combine (1.56 10-yard split). His biggest statistical season for UGA came in 2022.

Jack Kaiser, Notre Dame: A six-year college player, Kaiser played 69 games for the Irish. Broncos coach Sean Payton said it’s hard to find starting linebackers as rookies, so perhaps an experienced player would help smooth out the learning curve.

Eugene Asante, Auburn: Played for now-Broncos ILB coach Jeff Schmedding at Auburn in 2022, though Asante appeared in four games and redshirted that season after transferring. Undersized at 6-1 and 223 pounds, but ran a blazing 4.48 in the 40 at the combine. Younger brother of former NFL linebacker Larry Asante.

Jailin Walker, Indiana: Like Asante, Walker is small. IU listed him at 6-foot and 219. But he can fly (4.40 in the 40 at his pro day). A Broncos 30 visitor who would be a potential option with their final selections in the sixth round or as a free agent after the draft ends.

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Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Tendered Dondrea Tillman.

Under contract: Jonathon Cooper (four years), Nik Bonitto (one year), Andrew Farmer (one year), Dondrea Tillman (one year)

Need scale (1-10): 4. Really depends on what Denver’s plan is here. The Broncos have one of the best defensive-line and sack-artist cores in the league … but Bonitto, Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, and even Tillman (five sacks in 2024!) will be free agents after this year. Re-signing all of them would be a heck of a pretty penny, and it’s quite possible George Paton and company looks to this year’s draft to find a couple of faces who can wait in the wings. This isn’t a position of need in the short term, per se. But if the Broncos are planning to replace any of the above names, look for them to look to the edges in April.

Top five

Abdul Carter, Penn State: If this league weren’t so quarterback-driven, Carter would probably be the No. 1 pick. He rampaged with 13 sacks last year for the Nittany Lions and led the FBS in tackles for loss, a bona fide run-stuffer. His size doesn’t exactly blow you out of the water — not exactly the biggest dude at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds — but the natural talent is special.

Jalon Walker, Georgia: As versatile as they come. Walker spent about 40% of his snaps last year at Georgia against the run, about 31% in pass-rush and 29% in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. He lined up everywhere from mike linebacker to will to the outside, and is solid both as a tackler and in the pass-rush. The size, at 6-foot-1 and 243 pounds, is a concern as a full-time edge rusher, but Walker will play in a variety of packages.

Mykel Williams, Georgia: Let’s just toss both the Georgia boys in here. Williams was a consistent force racking up pressures for the last three seasons at Georgia, and is a powerful 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds. The raw production, though, doesn’t exactly leap off the page, with 14 sacks total in three years. He’s an upside guy.

Mike Green, Marshall: Green led the FBS with 17 sacks in 2024 at Marshall but faces a slew of character questions after confirming to reporters at the NFL combine that he’s been accused of sexual assault twice. He denies any wrongdoing.

James Pearce Jr., Tennessee: A lightning rod off the edge, Pearce Jr. racked up 43 quarterback hurries last year at Tennessee and is scary quick at a 4.47 40-yard dash. Once thought of as a blue-chip stock, though, Pearce’s status has fallen somewhat across the past couple of years after a December 2023 arrest where he was charged for speeding and driving with a suspended license.

Other Broncos options

Josaiah Stewart, Michigan: Yeah, fine, there are size concerns here. Stewart stands 6-foot-1, and doesn’t project as a typical starting edge rusher. But the motor popped last year at Michigan, with 8.5 sacks, and Stewart’s capable of simply overwhelming overmatched enemy tackles.

Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M: If the Broncos wanted to reach higher, Stewart is a high-upside swing. He had exactly 1.5 sacks last year at A&M in 521 snaps; toss that out the window. Beneath that, quietly, he racked up 33 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus — and the sheer athleticism shows signs of dominance, clocked at a 4.59 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical at the NFL combine.

Jordan Burch, Oregon: Beyond the Bo Nix tree, Burch could be a fit for another key reason: The Broncos’ only classic power-rush guy at edge in sheer body type is Tillman. Burch could fit as an OLB in a 3-4 scheme or a DE in a 4-3, at 6-foot-4 and 279 pounds, and racked up 8.5 sacks last year at Oregon.

Bradyn Swinson, LSU: In a pretty deep edge class, Swinson’s going rather underdiscussed relative to his profile. He’s got size at 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, and he was a monster last year at LSU, showing year-over-year improvement and finishing with a whopping 60 pressures, tied for sixth in the FBS, per PFF. He’s currently ranked pretty far down on most evaluators’ big boards, and could be a massive value play in middle rounds for Denver.

Jack Sawyer, Ohio State: Again, let’s contend it’s never a bad thing to select four-year guys from national-championship-winning programs. Sawyer improved every year with the Buckeyes, has great size at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, and was consistently praised for his leadership on Ohio State’s run to a natty.

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Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Re-signed D.J. Jones

Under contract: Jones (three years), Zach Allen (one year), John Franklin-Myers (one year), Malcolm Roach (one year), Jordan Jackson (two years), Eyioma Uwazurike (two years), Matt Henningsen (one year), Jordan Miller (two years),

Need scale (1-10): 6. The Broncos are in great position for 2025, returning every defensive lineman who played a snap last fall. But don’t let that mask what lies just beyond the horizon. Even if Denver and Allen come to a massive extension this summer, Franklin-Myers and Roach are entering the final years of their deals. If Denver extends JFM, too, the need for cheap young talent around him, Allen and Jones will be all the more critical. Jackson took a nice step in 2024, but none beyond the top four are guaranteed long-term contributors. No matter how you slice it, the Broncos should be in the market for defensive line help. Perhaps as early as the first round.

Top five

Mason Graham, Michigan: One of the very best prospects in the 2025 draft class regardless of position, Graham is a load inside. He’s got short arms, but it doesn’t stop him from making his presence felt in both the run game and as a pass-rusher. There are more prototypical athletes and perhaps more enticing traits elsewhere in the group, but it would be a surprise if any of them went before Graham later this month. He should be off the board comfortably in the first 10 picks.

Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M: In some ways, the opposite of Graham. Stewart’s got perhaps the most exciting skill set of all the front-line players. The head-scratcher: He had just 4.5 career sacks at Texas A&M. Still, he led the Aggies in pressures and ran 4.59 in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds. He’ll likely play heavier than that in the NFL, depending on the scheme. The combination of traits without college production is reminiscent of players like Rashan Gary, who went No. 12 to Green Bay in 2019. A similar range wouldn’t be a surprise for Stewart.

Derrick Harmon, Oregon: A player who feels like a pretty clean fit for the Broncos — and many other teams — in the first round. Harmon has size and length at 6-5 and 313 pounds, he’s athletic and disruptive, and he’s got a reputation for playing hard all the time. Played three years at MSU before transferring to Oregon and compiling five sacks, 10.5 TFLs and a pair of forced fumbles.

Kenneth Grant, Michigan: Massive interior player who checked into the Combine at 6-4 and 330 pounds. He made a dynamite college pair with Graham. Will be interesting to see how much more pass-rush he can add to his game as a pro, but there aren’t a lot of guys built like him. He’ll have a chance to hear his name called in the first round.

Walter Nolen, Ole Miss: A terrific athlete at 6-4 and 296 pounds and disruptive pass-rusher who started his career at Texas A&M before transferring to Ole Miss for the 2024 season. Then he racked up 14 tackles for loss to go along with six sacks. It’s a deep group overall and at the top. All five of the players listed here will still be 21 years old on draft day.

More Broncos options

Darius Alexander, Toledo: An older player who will turn 25 during the preseason, Alexander spent six years at the college level. He ran 4.95 in the 40 at the combine at 6-4 and 305 pounds. Like several others in this group, he’s got the ability to play different spots on the front and could be a useful role player as a rookie.

T.J. Sanders, South Carolina: Another of the litany of athletic interior players in this class, Sanders goes 6-4 and 300 pounds and reportedly ran sub-5.0 in the 40 at USC’s pro day. He’s got pass-rushing chops and is the kind of versatile player who could fill a role as a rookie and grow into a bigger role in 2026 and beyond.

Vernon Broughton, Texas: A Broncos 30 visitor, Broughton first became a starter at Texas last fall, his fifth collegiate season. He’s a massive guy at 6-5 and 311 with a nearly 84-inch wingspan. He could end up going Day 2 or could be available early on Day 3 if the Broncos address other positions early in the draft.

Ty Robinson, Nebraska: Started five seasons at NU and got better and better throughout his tenure. Robinson is an enormous guy, checking into the Combine at better than 6-5 and 288 pounds. Then he ran 4.98 seconds in the 40. Had seven of his 12 career sacks and 12.5 of 26.5 TFLs in his final college year. Combined with the testing, he might have played his way into a Day 2 pick.

Rylie Mills, Notre Dame: Essentially Robinson’s equal in terms of size (6-5, 293), Mills injured his knee during the Irish’s College Football Playoff run. Even if he’s not entirely ready for the start of the 2025 season, he could potentially serve as a role player with room to grow into a bigger role in the future.

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A long way, truly, from Cherry Creek — in Indianapolis, a thousand miles and several years removed. A long way from the kid who couldn’t crack varsity for a couple of years, who was a stone’s throw away from calling his playing career over. He dug his hands into the turf and released a deep breath, mouth forming an O as he exhaled. But the jitters still shook him, a false-start whistle blowing on his first 40-yard attempt at February’s NFL combine.

Helm slowed. He braced to turn back to the start line on his right foot. And his ankle popped.

It was only afterward, when Helm took his shoe off in a conversation with agent Jack Bechta, that the damage revealed itself. The thing had ballooned. Purple splotches spread. There was no long-term danger, but this hurt in the short term, a handful of NFL teams wanting to get a time on the 6-foot-5 tight end from Texas.

In the moment, though, Helm barely grimaced, back for a second try. No one noticed. He didn’t want them to. And so it was, a few seconds later, that the kid from Cherry Creek ended up running his official 40-yard dash on a sprained ankle.

“Being able to be on that stage, on national TV, and being able to have these Colorado kids and all these Creek kids and all the kids that want to be where I’m at — to be that guy,” Helm recalled, “there was no way I was pulling myself out of any of those drills. No matter how bad the injury was.”

Helm finished with a time of 4.84 seconds, 12th out of 14 TEs at the combine. His draft fate teetered somewhere in the middle rounds, and Helm was crushed. I just killed my stock, he lamented to Bechta. Perhaps, the agent reflected, it would indeed knock Helm down a round in April.

But within 24 hours, as pictures of Helm’s ankle inconspicuously made their way to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Bechta realized he could sell this. Well, it sold itself.

This was Gunnar Helm. Never any excuses. Never any fuss. He waited his turn back at Cherry Creek, and waited his turn at Texas, and grew in the shadows of weight rooms and practice fields into a player few could’ve ever quite anticipated. He played every single game at Texas for four years, through swollen knees, swollen shoulders and swollen ankles.

He wouldn’t pull himself out on a sprained ankle, he’s told teams since, in predraft meetings. He would tape it up. He did it at the combine, after all. He has the eyes of Colorado to live up to.

“That’s who he is,” Texas tight ends coach Jeff Banks said of Helm. “He ain’t gonna miss anything. That dude’s not missing anything.”

•••

Back in his day, Blake Helm played football at Cherry Creek with a kid named Gunnar. Something about the name stuck in his head for years. And when he and wife, Patti, were preparing to welcome their son, Blake tried rolling the name Gunnar Helm around out loud, bellowing as if he was manning the Cherry Creek loudspeakers.

On the reception for the Bruins, Gunnar Helm! 

Two decades later, Helm’s parents sat in the stands at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium and rarely heard their son’s name called early on. Helm caught 19 passes his first three years as a Longhorn. The Helms went, for years, to cheer Gunnar’s blocking.

Then, in Week 2 last fall, on a trip to Michigan, his parents watched in Ann Arbor as Gunnar caught a ball. And another. And another. Each subsequent grab prompted a look in the stands from his parents, Blake and Patti, turning to each other incredulously.

“‘Did he just catch another one?'” Blake recalled thinking. “We weren’t used to that.”

Nobody was, really. Nobody expected this. Banks and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian believed in Helm, sure; they didn’t expect him to catch 60 balls. One Texas writer, Helm recalled, predicted he would catch nine passes his senior year.

“I mean, I had nine catches after my second game, so,” Helm said. “It was a little bit of, like, a gotcha.”

Despite being deployed every game as a blocker, Helm had been stuck behind future Panthers TE Ja’Tavion Sanders for three years at Texas. Sure, he was frustrated. But he didn’t rail at his program; he railed at himself. After Sanders declared for the NFL draft following the 2023 season, Helm went to Banks and demanded that he hold up a mirror at him.

“I said, ‘I want to win the SEC. I want to win a national championship. And I want to play in the National Football League. What do I have to do to get there?’” Helm recalled.

“And he said, ‘You’ve gotta be stronger. You’ve gotta be faster. And you need to be a lot better in the vertical passing game, and you need to be a lot better after the catch.’”

Helm trained in triple-digit heat in Nashville, Tenn., with TE guru Jeremy Holt for a week in the offseason. He ran routes religiously with quarterback Quinn Ewers, preparing himself as a safety valve. He drilled his explosiveness in weight room one-on-ones with Texas strength coach Torre Becton.

Months later, he finished with 786 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, rounding into one of the better tight ends in the nation. He hurdled multiple guys in multiple games. He averaged 7 yards after the catch, Texas’ tight-end room long drilling a concept Sanders called “YAC Season.”

There was no secret here. There was only a chip that Helm had slapped on his own 6-foot-5 shoulder pads, ever since his days at Creek. It took until his junior year to make varsity, when coaches Dave Logan and Det Betti saw a glut at wide receiver and decided to shift Helm to tight end. He entered Texas as an “underdeveloped” — as Banks put it — 220-pound baby face, the lowest-rated member of Texas’ 2021 class beyond punter Isaac Pearson.

And he wore Colorado on his sleeve, a region Logan says is “severely under-recruited.”

Helm wanted to leave another standard for the Denver region that molded him.

“Just to show people … who may have been in my position coming out of high school, that, you can still do this and you can still be a great, and you can still play to the highest of your ability at the highest level, no matter where you’re from,” Helm said.

“If you’re good enough, they’re gonna find you.”

•••

In early April, Helm sits in a locker room at Landow Performance in Centennial, reflecting. He’s long proven to himself that he’s good enough. But he didn’t necessarily expect to be here, a few weeks away from a potential Day 2 or early Day 3 selection in the NFL draft.

But the cart had been pushed this far. He doesn’t intend to stop. He rattles off the names of idols he wants to be peers: Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Rob Gronkowski.

“I want to be on that level,” Helm says, firm. “I want to leave a blueprint on football. I want to leave a stamp on whatever community I get brought into. And I want to be known as someone who helped change and develop the tight end position in the NFL.”

The 40 time hurt. The combine results paint a shoddy picture. The tape illustrates something else. Holt, who’s trained TE stars Kittle and T.J. Hockenson, compares Helm to fellow client and Pro Bowler Zach Ertz. Coaches point to his ability to check every box after playing in a pro-style offense at Texas — vertical game, yards after the catch, blocking, football IQ, durability. The only true question is whether he’s got 4.60- to 4.70-second speed rather than the 4.84 time he posted at the combine.

“We get less calls on him,” said Banks, whose Texas program has roughly 15 draftable prospects in 2025, “just because everybody’s like, ‘Yep, that’s what we thought.'”

Helm will likely end up picked somewhere in the middle rounds, with a handful of potential destinations. The Rams, for one, are so interested that they sent a scout to Creek for a background check. The Broncos, too, hosted Helm on a local visit. He was teammates at Texas with special-teams coordinator Darren Rizzi’s son Christian and is roommates with a family friend of new Denver QB3 and former Longhorn Sam Ehlinger.

“They call it the Denver Longhorns,” Helm said, “so if I could be that next Longhorn to come in and help the Broncos win games, it’d be a great honor.”

Whether or not he ends up with the Broncos, Denver can still claim Helm, a prospect who claims the city right back. He didn’t tap out at the combine, he told his father, because that wasn’t who he was. He also didn’t tap out, he said, because he never saw many Colorado kids at the NFL combine growing up.

“I think for this area,” Cherry Creek coach Logan said, “it’s a real feather in the cap of high school football in Colorado, right?”

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The Broncos wide receiver was all smiles here Saturday as he kicked off a campaign for his newly released candy, Sutton Sours. Later this month, he’ll get back to what until last summer had been a normal part of his offseason routine: taking part in Denver’s voluntary offseason workout program and organized team activities.

That even though Sutton and the Broncos have not yet come to terms on a contract extension.

Still, Sutton told The Denver Post on Saturday here that he believes his representation and the club are “moving in the right direction” regarding a long-term deal.

“My team has had a really good conversation with the guys up there in the front office, and I think it’s working in the right direction,” Sutton said. “Ultimately, you just want to know you’re working in the right direction. I think they see and have seen what I’ve brought to the team.

“I’m open and optimistic about the fact that I’ll be able to be here for the rest of my career.”

That’s a substantial tone shift and change in approach from a year ago, when Sutton skipped all of the Broncos’ voluntary offseason work. When he reported to a mandatory minicamp in June — the only portion of the offseason he could have been fined for missing — he called contract talks between himself and the only organization he’s ever played for a “stalemate.”

Eventually, Sutton agreed to add up to $1.7 million in earnable incentives to his contract and cashed in $1.5 million of it by putting together the best football of his career — and certainly the best season he’s had since tearing his ACL in 2020.

Sutton caught 81 passes for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns while becoming the go-to option for rookie quarterback Bo Nix and being voted a captain by his teammates for a fourth straight year.

In the process, he made a convincing case for a contract extension. Sutton is entering the final season of a four-year, $60.1 million extension he signed in November 2021. He is due a $13.5 million base salary for 2025 and has no guaranteed money left on his contract, though that will change if the sides can agree on an extension in the coming months.

Sutton said Nix’s ascendance, Denver’s return to the playoffs and his confidence in how the organization thinks of him all add up to an excitement level to attend the voluntary portion of the offseason.

“One of the biggest things is the season we had last year was amazing, and leaning into that and wanting to build on that and not wanting to take any steps back from that, I think the offseason is a big part of that,” Sutton said. “And then obviously us having a quarterback. Man, going into the offseason knowing, “this is going to be our quarterback of the future — being able to build on that and having that consistency and that foundation already set going into the offseason is amazing.”

In acknowledging that Sutton is planning to attend the voluntary portion of team workouts two weeks ago at the NFL owners meetings in South Florida, head coach Sean Payton said there is “no timeline” for an extension.

“I’m excited that he’ll be there whenever we get going and we’ll go from there,” Payton said.
But I know there isn’t any timeline.”

General manager George Paton narrowed it down slightly, saying he thought any contract extensions the Broncos work on will happen after the NFL Draft, which runs April 24-26. The Broncos have several players who are due or close to due for extensions, including Sutton, defensive lineman Zach Allen, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and potentially others, like defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers.

“You’ve seen how we’ve done our business,” Paton said at the owners meetings. “Typically, let’s get through the draft. We’ll be open to conversations after the draft and into the summer and sometimes into the season as well.”

Last year, Denver finalized massive extensions for right guard Quinn Meinerz in mid-July and for cornerback Pat Surtain II the week of the Broncos’ season opener.

In the meantime, the only pursed lips for Sutton might come if he tried his own candy. He was relaxed and smiling wide as a long line of Broncos fans filtered through a sporting goods store to buy his newest concoction and score an autograph in the process. At least a couple hundred people — and a few furry friends — got photos and autographs from Sutton, who spent weeks on different candy options from Colorado Candy Company before settling on a sour.

“I love candy,” Sutton said. “It’s something that, it’s one of my Achilles heels for sure. … They probably sent a good amount, we went back and forth for a couple weeks — it might have been more like a month — trying to figure out what we liked. We narrowed it down to some flavors and we got it right.

“I love sours. I’m thinking about it right now and it’s making my cheeks tingle.”

That’s the only sour taste in Sutton’s world these days.

The Broncos are back to being a playoff-caliber team, they have a quarterback, and Sutton feels good about his place in the organization.

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Uncertainty abounds. Does Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders go in the top three picks or start falling toward the middle of the first round?

Is anybody itching to trade up? Or might this be a year in which most teams let the board come to them?

Who will be around at No. 20 when the Broncos are first slated to be on the clock?

A raft of mock drafts out there jumped to pair Denver with North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton after free agency. He’s widely — though not unanimously — considered the No. 2 back in the class after Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, but that’s where the consensus ends.

Respected draft minds differ on whether he’s a blue-chipper. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Hampton ranked No. 13 overall. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler? No. 29. That’s the difference between a true first-round grade and not.

The first time The Denver Post did this exercise after the opening phase of free agency, Michigan tight end Colston Loveland was the pick at No. 20. That still feels like a good fit — though there’s no guarantee Loveland will still be available — but what’s the fun in just rolling out the same picks for Version 2.0?

So, this time around, let’s assume the top two tight ends are off the board in Loveland and Penn State’s Tyler Warren. So, too, is Jeanty, and either somebody’s jumped at Hampton — looking at you, Dallas Cowboys — or Denver doesn’t consider him worthy of No. 20.

The rest of the parameters: No trades. Seven Denver picks. And a bonus: A dark-horse option for each of the first three rounds.

No. 20: RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State

Is this early for Henderson? Maybe. Would it be ideal if Denver could move back a few spots and still nab him or even take him at No. 51? Absolutely. But the draft doesn’t always work out that way.

Here’s one thing we know about Broncos head coach Sean Payton: If he loves a player, he’s not afraid to take him, regardless of any consensus notion of value. And there are several reasons the Broncos could end up loving Henderson.

The 5-foot-10, 202-pounder has home run ability out of the backfield, he’s a weapon in the passing game, and he’s a quality pass-protector. He’s got the ability to be the type of three-down back Payton and general manager George Paton said they’re looking for in this class.

Payton’s often referenced Detroit’s 2023 draft class because the Lions found two “Jokers” in the same crop. Part of that haul? Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who went earlier than almost anybody expected at No. 12 overall and turned into a matchup nightmare. Henderson might not be exactly that caliber of prospect, but he’s got similarities and he’d profile as a great lead to pair with the bigger, powerful Audric Estime. If the Broncos think Henderson elevates the entire offense, then why not?

Dark horse: S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina. Conventional wisdom is the Broncos will look for a back, tight end or maybe a defensive lineman in the first round. Emmanwori is none of those, but he’s an athletic marvel (4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 43-inch vertical and 11-6 broad jump at the combine) and a unique talent. He’d be a fun player to watch defensive coordinator Vance Joseph deploy.

No. 51: TE Mason Taylor, LSU

The son of former NFL great Jason Taylor fits a lot of what Payton and company are looking for at tight end. He can run, and he’s a better blocker than most of the quality receivers available. Plus, the Broncos have a ton of familiarity with him.

Denver has always had good insight into LSU players, given the staff history there — Jamar Cain and Beau Lowery, among others — but also because new defensive QC Brian Niedermeyer coached him for a year at St. Thomas Aquinas High in Florida in 2021. The question is if he’ll be available at No. 51. Some metrics — like ESPN’s predictive modeling — suggest the likelihood is high, but if Taylor is the third tight end off the board, it may be before this spot.

Dark horse: OLB JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State. The Broncos don’t need edge help given their current quartet, but if a difference-maker is available, any team will at least consider it. Denver’s dipped into the Buckeye well many times over the years defensively, including OLBs Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning.

No. 85: DL Ty Robinson, Nebraska

Denver could address the defensive front line as early as the first round, but here they wait until later on Day 2. Robinson is an older player in the class after six years with the Huskers, but he put together the best football of his career last fall when he tallied seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

At nearly 6-6 and 288 pounds, Robinson ran 4.83 seconds in the 40 at the combine. He’s a versatile front-line player who could serve in a reserve role as a rookie and grow into starting work down the road.

Dark horse: CB Darien Porter, Iowa State. A big, long, fast cornerback? That’s a player Payton and Paton could add to an already-strong group and hope it pays big-time, long-term dividends.

No. 122: WR Tory Horton, Colorado State

The Broncos took a swing at receiver early on Day 3 last year with Troy Franklin and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they did so again this spring. Horton was super productive for the Rams in 2022-23 before a knee injury limited his 2024 campaign. Still, he’s had a good predraft process. Denver wide receivers coach Keary Colbert was on hand for his pro day, and he’s got the kind of speed and vertical ability to give Bo Nix and company another weapon that makes defenses think twice about the deep ball.

No. 191: CB Korie Black, Oklahoma State

Black didn’t get invited to the combine, but he’s got experience after starting three years at OSU. He’s also got good size at 6-foot and, according to several outlets, he ran 4.35 in the 40 at his pro day.

No. 197: OL Hayden Conner, Texas

A three-year starter at left guard for the Longhorns, Conner checked into the combine at 6-6 and 314 pounds. That makes him the kind of big, rugged interior offensive lineman Denver likes. The Broncos should be looking for interior options for 2026 and beyond with center Luke Wattenberg entering the final year of his contract and left guard Ben Powers playing with no guaranteed money left on his deal.

No. 208: LB Jailin Walker, Indiana

A 30-visitor of the Broncos, Walker can really run. He ran in the 4.4-range at IU’s pro day and was productive in one year for the Hoosiers after transferring from James Madison. He’s not a big second-level player — the Hoosiers listed him at 218 pounds — but he’s got real athleticism and could be an interesting special-teams and developmental player.

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All In, All Covered — the initiative the Denver Broncos Foundation announced Jan. 28 that plans to donate 15,516 new Riddell Axiom helmets across each Colorado high school program over the next four seasons — has 250 schools signed up, according to the team.

Colorado has 277 high school football programs, so about 90% of the state’s teams are participating. A key change to the program’s requirements that came two weeks after its launch, in which the Broncos reversed course and said schools did not have to use the data element of the smart helmets to participate, helped jumpstart the groundswell.

When the $12 million initiative first launched, concerns over the smart helmets’ data and how it would be stored and used kept several school districts from immediately opting into the program. Those holdouts included the state’s largest districts in Denver Public Schools, Jeffco Public Schools and Douglas County School District — all of which are now participating.

“(Using the data element) is certainly something we’re still going to continue to look at, but without having to do the data privacy agreements and have it vetted through our technology team, it expedited the process,” said DPS athletic director Kevin Bendjy, who expects his district’s participation to be formally approved in a Board of Education meeting next week.

“It seems like it’s a favorable response statewide at this point and pretty optimistic altogether.”

In addition to DPS, Jeffco and DCSD, The Denver Post confirmed that 19 other districts are participating in the program.

That includes larger districts such as Cherry Creek School District, Boulder Valley School District, Aurora Public Schools, St. Vrain Valley School District and Adams 12 Five Star Schools, districts in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, districts with one football program such as Fort Morgan and Byers 32J, and tiny rural districts such as Rocky Ford.

Of the 22 districts The Post spoke with, three — Byers 32J, Rocky Ford and Platte Valley — confirmed they will be using the data aspect of the Axioms. The majority will be participating in the program without the InSite Smart Helmet Technology that tracks helmet hits and the InSite Analytics used to analyze that data.

Riddell owns the helmet data, which can be anonymized. The company uses the information for product development, support and enhancements.

For a school like Rocky Ford, athletic director and football coach Sean McNames said his district believes the ability to learn from the data outweighed potential legal concerns.

“As a coach, I feel some of the data would be nice to monitor,” McNames said. “Where are our biggest collisions happening in practice? Do we need to change some of the drills we use in practice due to contact? How physically demanding was last Friday night’s game?”

At Douglas County High School, football coach Eric Rice said there was a buzz about his program when Riddell reps came to Castle Rock to do 3D scans for the helmets with his players.

“My players were very excited when they were getting fitted,” Rice said. “I would equate it to watching kids open their Christmas presents.”

The number of helmets each school receives varies based on classification. Each 5A school gets 100 total helmets at a rate of 25 per year, while 4A teams get 84 total, 3A gets 70, 2A gets 44, 1A gets 36, 8-man gets 26 and 6-man gets 22. The Axiom has a 2025 retail value of $980, according to Riddell’s 2025 catalog.

While each district’s savings varies, participation in All In, All Covered will have a ripple effect by providing additional funding for football, as well as other sports at many schools. Bendjy estimates DPS will save more than $400,000 over four years. On a micro level, Fort Morgan athletic director Lucas Devlin estimates his school will save more than $65,000.

Bendjy says DPS’ savings will be “repurposed in other areas” of the district athletic budget. Devlin says his district’s savings will be applied toward reconditioning the Axioms, in addition to buying more football equipment. For Rice’s Huskies, he hopes to use the surplus of about $10,000 this season to buy a new gauntlet machine for his running backs and address other big-ticket equipment items.

Elsewhere, Thompson School District will also use its savings to address equipment needs within other sports, while Mesa County Valley School District 51 plans to use the money specifically for girls sports.

While the positive ramifications of the program continue to stack up, one of Riddell’s main competitors that hoped to be included believes the initiative isn’t as well-rounded as it could be. Certor Sports, the parent company of Schutt and Vicis, approached the Broncos to try to get its helmets integrated into All In, All Covered alongside Riddell.

The offer was rebuffed. Chad Hall, Certor Sports’ chief marketing officer, pointed out that the company has three of the top six helmets in the Virginia Tech varsity football helmet ratings, where the Axiom comes in at No. 7. He also says Schutt/Vicis helmets, which do not have a data component, can be custom fit without the need for 3D scans.

“We applaud the Broncos Foundation because this is an amazing thing that they’re doing,” Hall said. “But the assumption could be that (the Axiom) is the safest thing I could be wearing as an athlete. … We just want to make sure there’s an understanding that that’s not the case.

“For example, the locker room of the Denver Broncos looks very different than what is being presented to the whole state of Colorado. The locker room of the Denver Broncos is a locker room of choice. That choice is not being presented (to high schools). There are other options available that are not being presented as solutions because of the exclusivity arrangement that exists.”

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Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Re-signed Matt Peart.

Under contract: Garett Bolles (four years), Ben Powers (two years), Luke Wattenberg (one year), Quinn Meinerz (four years), Mike McGlinchey (three years), Matt Peart (two years), Alex Forsyth (two years), Alex Palczewski (two years), Nick Gargiulo (three years), Calvin Throckmorton (one year), Frank Crum (three years), Will Sherman (three years).

Need scale (1-10): 4. The Broncos have enviable continuity up front. They return all five starters and all of their top reserves. Most of them are under contract beyond 2025, even. But that doesn’t mean stasis is guaranteed. Wattenberg is entering the final year of his contract. Powers doesn’t have any guaranteed money remaining on his deal, and McGlinchey doesn’t after 2025. That doesn’t guarantee multiple departures after this year, but it does mean the time to plan for the future is now. And now means the middle rounds of the draft.

Top five

Will Campbell, LSU: A three-year starter at left tackle for the Tigers, Campbell has proven he can handle the edge. Doesn’t have ideal arm length, but is a good athlete who ran a sub-5-second 40-yard dash at 319 pounds. Safely a first-round pick.

Armand Membou, Missouri: Not many improved their draft stock in 2024 more than Membou, who was a dominant player for the Tigers. A two-plus year starter at right tackle for Mizzou, Membou could be the first offensive lineman off the board.

Josh Simmons, Ohio State: Simmons might have been the top lineman in the class had it not been for a torn patellar tendon in October. At 6-5 and 317, he started at right tackle in 2022 and left tackle each of the past two years. A team with a bit of patience might land a steal later in the first round or early on Day 2.

Grey Zabel, North Dakota State: The Bison churn out pro talent at the FCS level and Zabel’s the latest. He started up and down NDSU’s offensive line over the course of his career, including 2024 at left tackle. NFL teams may see him mostly as an interior player, but one with versatility.

Kelvin Banks, Texas: A three-year starter at left tackle for the Longhorns. Banks won the Outland Trophy in 2024 and was a first-team All-American. Has been a blue-chip prospect and player since high school.

More Broncos options

Jared Wilson, Georgia: Wilson’s not the biggest interior offensive lineman, but he’s a good athlete and started just one year at Georgia. Broncos center Luke Wattenberg is entering the final year of his rookie contract, meaning Denver could be on the hunt for a center to develop and compete with Alex Forsyth in the future.

Cameron Williams, Texas: Another potential developmental candidate, Williams has size and talent that can’t be taught. He’s 6-6 and 317 pounds with long arms. Teams are always looking for tackles and Williams would be an interesting fit along with Frank Crum and Alex Palczewski learning under offensive line coach Zach Strief.

Logan Brown, Kansas: Another tackle the Broncos have shown pre-draft interest in, Brown was a five-star recruit out of high school who eventually started for Kansas at right tackle in 2024. He got limited work in college but will get Day 3 looks from NFL teams.

Trey Wedig, Indiana: Like Brown, a Wisconsin transfer who caught on and started at right tackle for a really good Indiana team. Wedig had a good week at the Shrine Bowl but didn’t get an invite to the combine. He was a 30 visitor for the Broncos.

Tate Ratledge, Georgia: Broncos coach Sean Payton likes big interior linemen, and Ratledge is that at 6-5 and 308. He’s a mauler who, like others on this list, could be a developmental player and potentially compete as a successor to Powers — or just quality young depth in the group.

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