Since OTAs began, we've heard a lot about the Denver Broncos' young veteran wide receivers. Not much has been said about the Broncos' third-round rookie, Pat Bryant, though.
Until Wednesday. Following Day 2 of the team's mandatory minicamp, Bryant was a key subject of interest. Having his hands on the former Illinois star for nearly two months, Payton dished on what drew the Broncos to Bryant in the first place.
“I like bigger receivers. He’s good at the line of scrimmage. I would say he has exceptionally strong hands in traffic," Payton said of Bryant on Wednesday. "So it’s not that I don’t like smaller receivers, I do, but the bigger receivers that can block and are physical at the line of scrimmage… He showed those traits.”
No doubt, we've seen Payton gravitate toward the bigger-bodied receivers as the head coach in Denver. Payton inherited the 6-foot-4 Courtland Sutton, but drafted the same-sized Devaughn Vele in the seventh round last year, as well as the 6-foot-2 Troy Franklin in the fourth.
Bryant stands at 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds, but those aren't the only boxes he checks for Payton. Bryant is tough at the line of scrimmage, physical, reliable, and absolutely lives for football. He also possesses one of the rarities among wideouts: a fondness for blocking.
We've heard Bryant address how he became a prolific blocker on the perimeter. "No block, no rock," he said. That's an ethos that resonates with a coach like Payton, and it hints at a greater, more mature football character within.
By way of a progress report, Payton hasn't been disappointed by Bryant thus far. Following the draft, Payton complemented Bryant's explosiveness off the line and his hands, even comparing him to former New Orleans Saints All-Pro Michael Thomas.
Cut to mandatory minicamp, and the veteran coach says that Bryant is "absolutely" translating both traits to the field already as a pro.
“[There are] little things we’re coaching up, but you like what you see. I like what I see," Payton said of Bryant. "He’s tough. There are things where he’s catching one like this [over the shoulder]... There are things that you’re immediately on these guys. That’s good to great. That’s coaching."
In other words, Bryant is a rookie. He's still got some rough edges that Payton and the coaches are working to polish off. But football is a top priority to Bryant, so he takes to coaching well and fixes whatever the point of emphasis is.
Bryant's passion for the game and the serious, professional manner with which he approaches it is a common theme among the "young guys" that Payton has had a part in bringing to Denver. In Year 3 of the Payton regime, there aren't too many players whose presence on the team he hasn't influenced.
"Interview him. Be around him. It’s so important to him," Payton continued on Bryant. "I would say that’s probably the case with so many of these young guys. It’s not like an accident. There’s a profile we’re looking for. It’s not easy always. Sometimes that requires more trips and visits. But we’re looking for a certain profile.”
Payton sounds pleased with his young roster. With Bo Nix entering Year 2 armed with an arsenal mostly comprised of skill-position players still on their rookie contracts, the Broncos may be young, but the potential is through the roof.
And this team's arrow is pointing in the right direction: up. Bryant arrives alongside fellow 2025 draft picks like cornerback Jahdae Barron and running back RJ Harvey, both of whom we can safely say the Broncos will be relying on immediately.
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Bryant may have a long way to go in terms of earning a role on offense, but in the same way that Franklin and Vele were allowed to earn playing time as rookies (not all coaches are so open to playing first-year guys), Bryant will be given every opportunity to do the same. It's going to be fun to see how this young offense continues to grow together under the leadership of Nix.
