The Denver Broncos may end up having the best defense in the NFL in 2025, but all eyes will be on quarterback, Bo Nix, and his development in year 2.
But quarterback will not be the only facet of the offense under scrutiny; after being without a true lead back in 2024, the Broncos will be desperate to have a reliable, consistent tailback after using a rotation approach to their run game last season.
UCF rookie, RJ Harvey; having been drafted in the second round of last month’s draft by the Broncos; will hope to be the man that fills that critical role in Denver’s offense.
And whilst it was a surprise to some that Harvey was taken in the second round rather than later in the third or even the fourth, Damian Parson of Bleacher Report believes that the former Knight should be regarded as a top contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
RJ Harvey Listed As A Top Contender For OROY
“RJ Harvey was more of a surprise selection on Day 2 of the draft.” Parson writes, “He lands with one of the league’s best offensive minded coaches, Sean Payton.
We have seen plenty of successful running backs in Payton’s scheme, including Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and most notably, Alvin Kamara. One of the most significant similarities between these talented ball-carriers was their receiving ability. All of them were threats to catch in space.
Payton dials up running back passes in a variety of ways that best suit the player’s skill set. This should be the expectation with Harvey.”
Parson also contends that the addition of Harvey works nicely in tandem with Nix.
“He is the best backfield option and meshes well with the passing style of second-year quarterback Bo Nix.” Parson continued, “Nix is accustomed to dumping/checking the football down to his underneath options as a last resort, and Harvey will excel on those touches.”
“The rookie is a talented runner with vision, patience and elusiveness to force missed tackles. He ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, displaying his raw top-end speed. The Broncos offense isn’t a talent goldmine, which opens the door for ample touches for Harvey.”
Harvey May Resemble A Very Familiar Face For Sean Payton
In fact, despite Harvey not having extensive of experience as a receiving back in college, he could end up being a similar type of threat that Payton’s former “joker”, Alvin Kamara was during his time with the New Orleans Saints, according to Parson.
“He could see similar usage to what Kamara saw in his rookie season, when he accounted for 1,554 total yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns. Those numbers earned Kamara the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.”
Calling RJ Harvey the future Alvin Kamara may be a little rich for now, but he certainly has the raw skill set to become a dangerous dual-threat back in the NFL. And with no true competition to be the main man at running back, we could see him thrive in the Broncos backfield in 2025.
