The Lead
The Broncos have put the final touches on their 2024 draft class, as they added seven prospects to their roster over the course of three days.
With five offensive players and two defenders, Denver addressed both sides of the ball ahead of the 2024 season.
While Broncos Country will soon learn what the seven players bring on the field, we thought we'd provide an early look at who these players are as people.
Here, then, is one thing to know about each prospect:
QB Bo Nix - Round 1, No. 12 overall
Nix spent the first portion of his career at Auburn, where his dad led the Tigers to a one-loss season in 1994. When Nix was a kid, he would pretend to be leading the Tigers in his backyard, according to a recent Denver Post article.
"It was always Auburn. No matter where our dad was coaching, it was always Auburn. It was us pretending to be Auburn vs. whoever they played the day before," his brother Caleb told the Denver Post. "It was an imaginary game."
The Broncos' new quarterback played at the same high school as his dad, winning back-to-back state titles and being named Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year. Nix then followed in his father's footsteps to Auburn, where he earned a win, coincidentally, against Oregon in his first start. Though Nix would later look for a fresh start in Eugene, he spoke fondly of his time at Auburn on Friday.
"I had three great years at Auburn," Nix said. "It was a dream come true; it was what I wanted to do my entire life."
OLB Jonah Elliss - Round 3, No. 76 overall
You may already know that Elliss' father, Luther, played for the Broncos in 2004 and also served as the team chaplain. But perhaps you haven't yet heard about the rare company that Elliss will join when he appears in his first game. Jonah and Luther will become just the second father-son duo to play for the Broncos, joining Tom and Daniel Graham. The elder Graham played linebacker for the Broncos from 1972-74, while his son, Daniel, played tight end from 2007-10.
WR Troy Franklin - Round 4, No. 102 overall
Franklin set the career mark at Oregon for receiving touchdowns and single-season standards for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and his production looks even more impressive considering the standards to which he had to live up. Franklin joined Oregon as the second-best recruit in California in the Class of 2021, and he was graded as the nation's fifth-best receiver. At the time of his commitment, Franklin was the second-highest graded wide receiver recruit in school history.
CB Kris Abrams-Draine - Round 5, No. 145 overall
Abrams-Draine arrived at Missouri as a four-star wide receiver, but he switched to cornerback for the final two games of his freshman season.
"It helped me with knowing and understanding what the offense wants to do and what formations they get in," Abrams-Draine at the Combine of his experience as a receiver. "I feel like it just really helped me in my ball skills and attacking the ball when it's in the air."
He made the move after playing quarterback, cornerback, kick returner, punt returner and even punter in high school. As a high school senior, Abrams-Draine accounted for at least 30 total touchdowns (19 rushing, nine passing and two interception returns) and was Alabama's runner up for Mr. Football.
RB Audric Estime - Round 5, No. 147 overall
Estime has just one tattoo: the Roman numerals of his late mother's birthday. The Fighting Irish running back lost his mom, Bertha Noisette, to sickle cell disease when he was 10 years old, and he takes a knee to speak to his mom before each game.
"Man, I know she's just looking down on me, smiling. All the hard work I put in, she laid the foundation," Estime told NorthJersey.com in March. "I know my mom is watching over me. I think about her every day, and I will treat [on-field workouts] like a game day. So for sure I'll be in the end zone, say a prayer and then talk to my mom, and I want to make her proud."
WR Devaughn Vele - Round 7, No. 235 overall
Prior to his career at Utah, Vele served a two-year mission in the islands of Samoa. Vele learned a new language while on his LDS mission before walking on at Utah to begin his career.
"I feel like I have that sense of maturity where teams won't have to worry about me [with] on- or off-the-field issues," Vele said Saturday. "Those are experiences that I learned from the mission. I feel like that is going to help me have that sense of maturity to be coachable and also be humble in the standings of wherever they need me to contribute for the team."
Vele is the first Utah wide receiver drafted since 2015.
G Nick Gargiulo - Round 7, No. 256 overall
Despite playing at South Carolina for just one season, Gargiulo quickly earned a role as a team captain. As fellow offensive lineman Sidney Fugar said in August, Gargiulo was "the heart and soul" of the Gamecocks' offensive line.
"When it comes to the nitty gritty, when it comes to leadership and when it comes to bringing all of us together, we all count on Nick," Fugar said.
