The Denver Broncos turned heads with their decision to draft running back RJ Harvey with the No. 60 overall pick of the 2025 draft.
The rookie returned the favor in his first minicamp.
DNVR’s Zac Stevens was so impressed with Harvey that he stated his belief that the rookie could be the team’s “RB1 Week 1” this coming season. Stevens cited Payton’s note that Harvey was a quick study during rookie minicamp.
“He’s RB 1 Week 1”
R.J. Harvey stood out during Broncos’ rookie minicamp so much that @ZacStevensDNVR is comfortable calling him the starting running back 👀
“He’s picked up on, very quickly, what we’re doing. You can tell it’s real important to him. But this is like the first exposure to the training room, the weight room, the schedule, the nutrition,” Payton told reporters on May 10.
“There’s a lot more than just, ‘Hey, we’re going to run these plays.’ So, he’s looked good, though. He’s – listen, we’re glad he’s here.”
Harvey figures to at least give the Broncos an explosive option out of the backfield.
Broncos RB RJ Harvey Puts League on Notice
GettyRJ Harvey is ready to hit the ground running in the NFL.
Harvey, who said the Broncos were on his list of preferred landing spots because of Bo Nix, also offered remarks that serve as notice for the rest of the league, declaring that he is seeking to surpass the backs to whom he was compared coming out of the draft.
“Yeah, definitely want to be like those guys,” Harvey told reporters on May 10. “Darren Sproles … he went crazy with the Saints. [Alvin] Kamara, too, so. I want to be better than those guys, so I’m gonna work every day, get better, and just prove myself to all the vets and the coaches. And I want to make a immediate impact in this league, so.”
RJ Harvey showing off his fast feet and speed 💨
ESPN’s Field Yates predicted Harvey will do just that with the Broncos, ranking him No. 2 of non-first-round impact prospects.
“The Broncos entered the draft needing a running back, and many — myself included — thought they might take one with their first-round pick at No. 20,” Yates wrote on May 12. “Harvey can be the ‘joker’ in Sean Payton’s offense, impacting the game as both a runner and receiver.
Yates called Harvey a “compact back who plays with a big-back mentality.”
Harvey reminds Yates of Tampa Bay Buccaneers runner Bucky Irving, Nix’s teammate at Oregon, who made the list in 2024 and ranked 10th with 1,122 rushing yards in 2024.
RJ Harvey Turns Heads in Side-by-Side Comparison to New Teammate
GettyRJ Harvey garnered attention during the Denver Broncos’ rookie minicamp.
Harvey, who DNVR’s Ryan Greene dubbed “Quadzilla,” joins a backfield that includes 2024 fifth-round pick Auric Estime. Pictures of the new duo made waves with fans noting their stoutness.
“My goodness the Denver Broncos have huge RB’s,” a fan posted on X, sharing the images on May 10.
my goodness the Denver Broncos have huge RB’s
Estime was fourth on the team in rushing as a rookie.
He finished behind Javonte Williams, now of the Dallas Cowboys, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Nix. McLaughlin returns along with Blake Watson and Tyler Badie. McLaughlin, Watson, and Badie are all slighter than Estime or Harvey, which will likely factor in who stays and who goes.
The Broncos do not have to get down to 53 players until the end of August, though, giving them plenty of time for evaluations.
