A young receiver is standing out early at OTAs, but maybe not the most expected name.
One of the position groups that's going to get talked about all offseason for the Denver Broncos is the young wide receiver room. The Broncos have an established veteran in Courtland Sutton, but other than Sutton, there is nobody in that group with more than two seasons of time on task in the NFL.
Everybody in Broncos Country is hungry for the latest updates on rookie third-round pick Pat Bryant (who has looked solid so far, according to onlookers at two OTA practices), Troy Franklin (who has done well, according to Sean Payton), and Marvin Mims (who has a much more defined role in the offense).
One of the players who has been a bit forgotten about is 2024 7th-round pick Devaughn Vele. Perhaps Vele wasn't consistent enough last year to draw early offseason hype from the fan base. Perhaps it's the fact that he's already 27 years old (going on 28) and is perceived to have more limited long-term upside.
Whatever it is, Vele being the guy to really emerge this offseason might be a shocker to many, but he's the one really standing out among the rest at OTAs thus far.
Devaughn Vele standing out in a big way at Broncos OTAs
Vele finished second among Broncos wide receivers last year with 41 receptions, and 26 of them went for first downs. He had the second-highest QB rating on the team when targeted last season behind Marvin Mims Jr. at 118.4, and caught three touchdowns on the year.
And even with Vele outplaying his draft slot expectation significantly, it almost feels like expectations have been completely reset for him in year two, at least among a large chunk of the fan base. Based on the initial reaction to OTAs, however, it seems like Vele might be closer to the established WR2 in Denver than he is fighting for a role on the team.
And while everyone wants to hear about Mims and Franklin and even Bryant progressing this offseason, it doesn't mean Vele has to take a step back for that to happen. There are a number of ways the Broncos can unleash Vele a little more in his second season with the team. He's got outstanding size and athletic traits, and showed as a rookie that he can make difficult catches look easy.
The Broncos should give him more chances to do just that.
Having the benefit of a year in the offense sounds like it's doing wonders for a rookie class that is turning the page to year two as a group. And Vele has a chance to help take this Denver Broncos offense to another level in 2025 as a rather unexpected source once again.
