Denver Broncos: 5 Best players under 25 on the roster

Ranking the best Denver Broncos players under 25 years old in 2020.

Entering head coach Vic Fangio’s second season with the Denver Broncos, there is a ton of hype about what this young roster could do in the 2020 campaign. Some of that hype is from players such as Von Miller and 2019 breakout star Alexander Johnson but a great deal more centers on the offense and the pieces Denver added this offseason.

The 2020 NFL Draft was the crowning achievement in that regard, though they did sign Melvin Gordon in free agency. Broncos general manager John Elway got aggressive in getting quarterback Drew Lock weapons as he selected Jerry Jeudy in the first round, KJ Hamler in the second round and Albert Okwuegbunam in the fourth round. That’s one heck of a young core on offense.

Having said that, the talented youth on the Denver Broncos roster isn’t limited to their rookies. Those are the players we’re identifying today, the five best players under 25 years old on the 2020 roster, rookies excluded. (Note: Players must be under 25 when the season kicks off on Sept. 10.)

5. Malik Reed, EDGE

An undrafted free agent out of Nevada last year, Malik Reed actually made an impact once there were some injuries at edge rusher. He played in 15 games and made eight starts and went on to register two sacks, 27 combined tackles and four tackles for loss on the season. While he’s not a star by any stretch, he has already shown that he can be a productive and effective rotational player for the Broncos defense, which is great given that he wasn’t even drafted.

4. Noah Fant, TE

The Broncos traded down from No. 10 to No. 20 in the 2019 NFL Draft and selected tight end Noah Fant out of Iowa. And for a rookie tight end who played with three quarterbacks in his first season, Fant showed a ton of promise overall. He finished the season with 40 receptions on 66 targets for 562 yards and three touchdowns.

Fant is ultra-athletic and bursting with talent. I’m a believer and think he could be one of the more dangerous pass-catching tight ends in the league. But until he shows that consistently, it’s hard for me to put him higher than No. 4.

3. Drew Lock, QB

Drew Lock had to be on this list — where to put him was the difficult part.

There’s no denying that Lock was impressive once he got off injured reserve as a rookie and started the final five games of the 2019 season. He led the team to a 4-1 record with 1,020 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions to go with a 64.1 completion percentage. But yet, the sample size is so small, it’s hard for me to put him any higher than this.

With all of the new toys that Denver got Lock this offseason, this could make me look silly. But I’m willing to be cautious with the young quarterback while still acknowledging that there’s a ton of upside in play.

2. Bradley Chubb, EDGE

Because he missed all but four games in the 2019 season and had just one sack, many people seem to be sleeping on Bradley Chubb. They shouldn’t be. As a rookie (No. 5 overall pick in 2018), the NC State product racked up 12 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. He was as good as advertised and, if he can stay healthy, he should establish himself as one of the better young edge rushers in the NFL.

1. Courtland Sutton, WR

With all of the wide receiver talent the Denver Broncos added, let’s also not forget that they already have one of the brightest young stars in the league at the position, Courtland Sutton.

In two years as a second-round pick out of SMU, Sutton has more than proved himself but really broke out in his 2019 campaign. The wideout finished the year with 72 catches for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns. With consistent quarterback play and more weapons around him, that could go up even more and establish Sutton as a legitimate star at the position.