ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Bo Nix has been reunited with his top receiver.
The Broncos made a splash to start Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, as Denver traded to the top of the fourth round to select Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin with the 102nd-overall pick.
Denver traded the 121st-overall, 136th-overall and 207th-overall picks to Seattle to choose Franklin. Denver also received the 235th-overall pick as part of the trade.
"Man, [I'm] just feeling the joy," Franklin said. "I'm relaxed now. Just wanted to get my name called. Just a blessed feeling. [It's] great to be selected. I don't even know what to say right now. It's just a dream come true. So glad somebody gave me a chance. The Broncos gave me a chance to go out there, showcase my talent, do whatever I need to do to help the team."
Franklin caught 81 passes and had a team-high 1,383 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns in 2023 as he and Nix helped the Ducks to a 12-2 record. The 6-foot-2, 176-pound player set a single-season school record for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and he finished tied for third in the FBS in receiving touchdowns. His 81 receptions in a single season were also the second most in school history.
Franklin was named a second-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 player following the 2023 season and finished his career with a school-record 25 receiving touchdowns.
The two-year starter also led the Ducks in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in 2022 and tied for the Pac-12 lead in receiving touchdowns as he started all 13 games. Franklin earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2022. Now, Franklin will again play with Nix in Denver.
"He makes the receiver's job easier," Franklin said of Nix. "That's my guy right there."
Franklin caught passes from Nix at a private workout the Broncos held for the quarterback in Eugene in March, and he said he thought he made a "good first impression" with the Broncos' decision-makers.
"I just wanted to make sure I looked like I was catching the ball easily, fluidly — all that good stuff," Franklin said.
Franklin was the 58th-ranked prospect on The Athletic's Dane Brugler's list of top 100 draft prospects.
