Denver, CO
Best available Day 2 prospects for Broncos: Without trade activity ramping up, Denver has long wait until No. 76 on Friday night
The Broncos have their quarterback.
They didn’t have to pay anything extra to get Oregon’s Bo Nix, either, though they also weren’t willing to risk losing him by trading back even a few spots from No. 12.
“We just didn’t want to overthink it,” general manager George Paton said. “This is our guy. Let’s just take our guy. We did think about (moving back). Not too far. We could have moved a couple of spots back, maybe got some picks, but this was our guy. Let’s just take him and not overthink it.
“We would have been sick if we’d lost him just for a couple of fifth-round picks.”
So instead Denver heads into Day 2 with just one pick to its name: No. 76 in the third round. If they stay there, 45 players will come off the board before they make their next pick.
Here are some of the best players available after Thursday’s first round. Though many of them will come off the board beginning with Buffalo at No. 33, but these are the players that could convince Denver to try to move up or could fall to the 70s.
RB Jonathan Brooks, Texas: Would probably be the unanimous top back in the class if not for a torn ACL in November and still could be the first back off the board. Brooks waited behind Bijan Robinson at UT and was having a great year (1,139 yards on 6.1 per) before the injury.
RB Jaylen Wright, Tennessee: A walking explosive play. Averaged 7.4 yards per carry for the Vols in 2023. He ran 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at 5-11 and 210 pounds, posted a 38-inch vertical and an 11-2 broad jump.
RB Marshawn Lloyd, USC: A guy who could be around when Denver’s second turn comes up. Lloyd is smooth catching the ball and has big-time ability in the open field. Ran 4.46 in the 40 at 220 pounds and averaged 7.1 per carry for the Trojans.
WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas: Rangy wideout at 6-2 and 205 who had 845 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds and can stress defenses in multiple ways.
WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia: Always open and has the versatility to play in the slot or outside. Ran 4.39 in the 40 at 6-foot and 186 pounds. Played in nine games in 2023 due to injury after 58 catches for 762 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022.
WR Keon Coleman, Florida State: Had 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023 after transferring from Michigan State. Big-time athlete played hoops for the Spartans, too. Ran a modest 4.61 in the 40 but is imposing at 6-3 and 213 pounds.
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas: In the mix to be the second tight end off the board after Brock Bowers, who went No. 13. Sanders is a receiving threat who averaged 15.2 yards per catch as a junior. Doesn’t run particularly fast — 4.69-second 40-yard dash at the combine — but is dangerous in the receiving game at 6-4 and 250.
TE Ben Sinnott, Kansas State: A big senior year with 676 yards and six TDs. Similar size (6-4, 250) and timed speed to Sanders (4.68 at combine). Compiled 1,123 receiving yards and 10 TDs over two years starting
OL Roger Rosengarten, Washington: Highlands Ranch native who starred at Valor Christian and started the past two years at right tackle for the Huskies. Versatile player who can man three or four spots on the offensive line.
OL Kingsley Suamataia, BYU: Massive guy at 6-5 and 326 pounds who was a five-star player out of high school and turned pro after three college seasons. Started at right tackle in 2022 and left tackle last fall.
OL Dominic Puni, Kansas: First-team All-Big 12 selection who didn’t allow a sack in 342 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle in 2023 after playing left guard in 2022. Another guy who can play several positions up front.
OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon: The Broncos already have one of Nix’s former centers on the roster in Alex Forsyth. The other is Powers-Johnson, a tank of an interior offensive lineman who is likely to make a team very happy on Day 2.
Edge Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan: Big-time motor and relatively young at the position after playing TE in high school. Kneeland is 6-3 and 267 pounds.
Edge Chris Braswell, Alabama: Had 10.5 TFLs and 8.5 sacks for the Crimson Tide in 2023. Good athlete (ran 4.6 in the 40) who also had a pick-six and a blocked kick last fall.
Edge Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State: Played just up the road in Fort Collins and all he did was produce. Kamara had 13 sacks in 2023 and 29.5 for his career and likely played his way into the draft’s second day.
DL Johnny Newton, Illinois: A surprise fall out of the first round for Newton, who had offseason foot surgery. When healthy, he’s a menace inside. He should hear his name called quickly on Friday.
DL Kris Jenkins, Michigan: Never had huge production (eight TFLs, four sacks in 44 career games) but he’s an asset against the run. At 6-3 and 299, Jenkins has length and strength and ran 4.91 in the 40 at the combine.
DL Michael Hall, Ohio State: Hall is cut from the Dre’Mont Jones cloth and a Broncos option in the same range of the draft as Jones (third round). He’s 6-3 and 290 and has a big wingspan at better than 81 inches.
DL Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson: Orhorhoro is 6-4 and 294 and brings size and athleticism to the table. The Nigerian native has eight TFLs each of the past three seasons and 11.5 sacks over that span.
LB Junior Colson, Michigan: At 6-2 and 240 is more than big enough to patrol the middle of the field. Led the Wolverines in tackles the past two years while playing for a team that went 28-1 and won a national title.
CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa: A surprising fall out of the first round for DeJean, who broke his leg during his senior season but impressed at a workout earlier this month. He won’t last long Friday. Same likely goes for Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry and Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw.
CB T.J. Tampa, Iowa State: At 6-1 and 190, Tampa was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2023. Started for the Cyclones for two years and had eight TFLs in addition to the coverage work.
CB Andru Phillips, Kentucky: Not the biggest, but a feisty, tough player who stood out at the Senior Bowl. Denver may want more size at the position, but Phillips produced at 5-11. Ran 4.48 in the 40.
CB Max Melton, Rutgers: A 40-game collegiate starter who finished his career with 114 tackles, 22 passes defended and eight interceptions. Can play outside or in the slot.
S Tyler Nubin, Minnesota: A 55-game college career and school-record 13 interceptions who could have gone in the first round. He was named a first-team All-American in 2023 after he accounted for 53 tackles and five interceptions.
S Jaden Hicks, Washington State: Can do everything and is imposing at 6-2 and 215. He filled up the stat sheet in 2023, his third and final season, logging 79 tackles (six for loss), 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pair of picks while also blocking a kick.
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Denver, CO
Claimed by Christ, Free in Him: Archbishop Golka Celebrates First Juneteenth Mass in Denver
The annual archdiocesan celebration highlighted human dignity, Black Catholic faith and the healing power of Christ’s love.
“This is my first Juneteenth celebration as a priest or a bishop. I’m honored that this could be my first, right here,” Denver Archbishop James Golka said during the Mass commemorating Juneteenth at Curé d’Ars Parish in Denver on Sunday, June 14.
Celebrating the day the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States. This year’s annual archdiocesan Mass, organized by the Office of Black Catholic Ministry and bringing together parishes and groups from across Northern Colorado, also served to welcome the recently arrived archbishop, who was warmly greeted with processions by the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, liturgical participation by the Curé d’Ars youth group and choir, and additional music by the Queen of Peace African Catholic Society.
“You have a very beautiful church here. The building is okay, also,” Archbishop Golka remarked, noting the beauty of the people of God, the Church, amid laughter and applause.
Carolyne Richardson, member of the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary at St. Ignatius of Loyola, was particularly touched by Golka’s quiet enthusiasm.
“The church was overflowing with diverse ethnicities joining in this celebration. Everyone was elated to meet Archbishop Golka. He seemed to look each parishioner in the eye with genuine care and concern,” she noted. “It was sheer jubilation watching him sing the gospel songs along with the choir.”
Recalling his time with fellow bishops at their annual spring meeting in Florida, the archbishop reflected on Pope Leo’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, and its discussion on the reality of slavery.
“Although there was not always consistency in practice — slavery was long tolerated before being unequivocally condemned — there has been a continuous affirmation throughout history of the dignity of every human being created in the image of God, even if it took eighteen centuries for the full incompatibility with slavery to be explicitly recognized,” the Holy Father wrote. “This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one for which we cannot consider ourselves detached. It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord” (Magnifica Humanitas 176).
“Finally, Pope Leo says this to you, to all of us,” the archbishop noted as he finished quoting the Holy Father’s encyclical. “‘For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
(Photos by Matt Walker/Denver Catholic)
In his characteristically deeply pastoral way, Archbishop Golka offered the deep, personal love of Christ as a spiritual foundation and antidote to any and all attacks against humanity, be they in the form of slavery or the lurking dangers of artificial intelligence.
“At your Baptism, you were claimed by Jesus Christ. That’s our identity. The evil one tries to make us forget that. We forget that we are beloved children of God. We begin to think that maybe we are worthless, that there’s no reason why we’re here. That is a lie,” the archbishop emphasized. “When God created the universe, he had you in mind, to be here at this time, and this place for his purposes. And he wants to use you in everything. That means, he can use your weakness and your mistakes if you let him.”
The call to surrender more completely to the Lord of love, whose Sacred Heart burns in love for souls, resonated deeply with those in attendance.
“The Mass was more beautiful than I could have imagined,” said Kateri Williams, director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry. “Archbishop Golka’s homily deeply touched those in attendance, and many were moved to tears as he spoke of the Father’s unconditional love and as he reminded us that each of us has a unique purpose and calling in God’s plan.”
Osahon “Osi” Ogbeide, one of several members of the Youth Ministry at Curé d’Ars who read the Prayers of the Faithful, was also taken by the seeming contradiction in Archbishop Golka’s homily.
“The homily focusing on being a slave and surrendering to the lord was very impactful because it reminded me that God wants the best for us. And that can only be achieved in surrendering to him,” he said.
As we continue to surrender to God and follow his plan, even when it surprises and confounds us, we participate in the Kingdom of God, the archbishop concluded.
“God’s purposes are much more immense than my plan. My plan is pretty puny,” Archbishop Golka said. “God’s purposes began with creation, and they’re going to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Reign of God. We get to participate in the Reign of God coming, if you use God’s gifts for God and God’s purposes.”
Factors such as declining birth rates and families moving out of the city are contributing to declining enrollment at Denver Public Schools. In turn, it’s reshaping the district’s future.
“I think we’re in a good position, but it’s responsible for us to always be looking in the future and knowing we have to make some adjustments,” said Chuck Carpenter, the district’s CFO.
In a two-year span between this past school year and next, DPS expects a decline in enrollment of around 1,700 students.
“We haven’t really seen anything like this,” said Carpenter in response to the consistent decline.
Because of this trend, the district is facing a $28 million structural deficit over the next five years.
“We have a balanced budget now, and we’re not predicting that we’ll have an unbalanced budget in three years,” said Carpenter. “We’re saying we need to make adjustments over the next three, four years, so that our budgets are balanced.”
DPS’s Director of Campus Planning, Andrew Huber, told CBS Colorado in an interview last month that those adjustments will likely include closing down more schools.
“Additional school closures will be necessary in the upcoming years. When exactly that would be is hard to forecast right now,” said Huber.
The district’s CFO says his biggest takeaway from a recent round of closures is to make sure to give families options for what’s next.
“No one wants their school closed, but the second-best option isn’t going to be the same for every family,” said Carpenter.
This issue could be one Denver faces for years to come.
“We sort of say, how many kids are born here? Because in five years, those kids will be kindergartners,” Carpenter added.
The city’s birth rate peaked in 2005, meaning those babies have already graduated high school. And, according to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, more young families move out of Denver and into surrounding counties than move into the city.
“I think school consolidation is very — I understand why people want to talk about it, but I think it’s more about, like, how do we make sure that the programs that are offered are rich programs,” said Carpenter.
Carpenter also says the district is closely monitoring some potential cuts to federal grants for students of poverty and language learners. He says those decisions will be made by October for the start of the new fiscal year, and cuts would have a “terrible” impact.
The Denver Broncos hosted eight tryout players at mandatory minicamp this week, including quarterback Sawyer Robertson. It sounds like the team has made decisions on those tryout players, and Robertson won’t be signed (at least not right now).
Instead, the Broncos are signing offensive lineman Reid Holskey (according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) and cornerback Blake Cotton (according to the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel). Holskey (6-6, 306 pounds) spent time on the Houston Texans’ practice squad in 2025 before joining the New York Giants in January. He was cut by New York last month. Cotton (6-2, 195 pounds) is a rookie who spent last fall at Utah, totaling 30 tackles and seven pass breakups in 13 games.
The two moves came one day after Denver wrapped up minicamp. The 91-man offseason roster was already full, so the Broncos will need to make corresponding moves to make room for Holskey and Cotton on the roster.
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