INDIANAPOLIS — As the Broncos evaluate tight ends at the 2025 NFL Combine, a pair of Colorado natives may be worth watching.

Before Gunnar Helm and Terrance Ferguson honed their games at Texas and Oregon, respectively, they played high school football in the Denver metro area.

Helm played for Voice of the Broncos Dave Logan at Cherry Creek High School, where he won back-to-back state titles over his final two seasons and was an all-state player. Ferguson, meanwhile, was a two-time player of the year recipient at Heritage High School.

Both Helm and Ferguson have fond memories of watching the Broncos, and it's possible they could soon play in a stadium where they grew up watching their hometown team.

"I did grow up a Broncos fan," Helm said. "I was a 20-minute drive from downtown Denver, grew up going to a lot of games, grew up going to Dove Valley for some camp practices. It was definitely a dream come true."

Ferguson said he has fond memories of the Broncos' Super Bowl 50 win, and his preferred NFC team may also link him to Denver.

"Yeah, growing up in Denver, everyone is a Broncos fan," Ferguson said. "Growing up, I watched the Broncos and being able to be in the room with those guys and the head coach, [Head] Coach Sean Payton [was exciting]. … I also grew up with Saints fans, so it was kind of a surreal moment for me. Just a true blessing."

Helm caught 60 passes for 786 yards and seven touchdowns during his final season at Texas, while Ferguson caught 43 passes for 591 yards and three touchdowns for Oregon. A year earlier, catching passes from now Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, Ferguson added another 42 catches for 414 yards and six touchdowns.

"Bo's one of my best friends, and I still keep up with him today," Ferguson said. "To be able to be with a guy that you played with before and a great guy like that, it'd be amazing."

Ferguson said Nix told him to take the draft process "day by day" and reminded him that he's in the draft process for a reason.

"He's a great person on and off the field," Ferguson said of Nix. "Just a true competitor. He is an elite quarterback and demands a lot."

Ferguson also believes he'd be able to help Nix as a potential "Joker" player that could bring another element to Denver's offense.

"That's something I'd love to do," Ferguson said. "Be able to own the middle of the field and be that athlete. I definitely think I have that ability. It'd be amazing."

'I'M JUST TRYING TO DO THE SAME THING'

Rookie tight ends have made significant contributions in back-to-back years, as Detroit's Sam LaPorta earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2023 before Las Vegas' Brock Bowers shattered rookie records and was named a first-team All-Pro last year.

LaPorta caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns in Year 1, while Bowers — the 13th-overall pick last season — caught 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five scores.

Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, who has been linked repeatedly to the Broncos in various mock drafts, hopes to channel that same success.

"They're just prepared," Loveland said. "… They're just guys that look like they handle business like pros. They come in, they know the playbook, do everything the right way and they just go out there and perform. … They're playmakers and they did that, and I'm just trying to do the same thing."

Loveland caught 56 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns in his final season at Michigan.