The Denver Broncos surpassed expectations during their 2024 NFL Playoffs run that ended with a resounding thud in upstate New York as the Bills defeated them 31-7 in the first round.
The loss gave coach Sean Payton and his staff time to think about what needed to be done to take the team to an elite level this offseason.
The Broncos knew they needed to give additional help to budding star quarterback Bo Nix, and they may have gotten it in the third round of the NFL draft according to comments from Payton recently describing the potential of a rookie wide receiver.
“There were so many things about his game that reminded me of Mike Thomas,” Payton said about third round pick Pat Bryant in comparison to his former record-setting receiver in New Orleans, who had 149 catches to set an NFL record among all players in 2019.
“With respect to Mike I mean, holy cow, you don’t ever want to put pressure on a rookie like that.”
Payton called Bryant “real explosive off the line of scrimmage,” “competitive,” and “tough” during a press conference on the former Illinois Fighting Illini star.
Bryant had 54 catches for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns last season for coach Bret Bielema’s team in the Big Ten as he led a resurgence for the Illini.