With their 74th overall selection in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant. He is a big and physical wide receiver known for his blocking skills and fits the play style and skill set that head coach Sean Payton looks for in his wide receivers.
Bryant wasn’t on the radar of many Broncos fans, but Payton quickly increased the hype around him after he compared him to former Saints great wide receiver Michael Thomas soon after the draft.
“There
were so many things about his game that reminded me of Mike Thomas. With respect to Mike, who became… I mean, holy cow. You don’t ever want to put pressure on a rookie like that, We’re just talking about traits. But really explosive off the line of scrimmage, he’s very competitive, very tough. We mentioned this yesterday, periodically, you have more insight into a certain player. Jim Leonhard worked at Illinois the year before we hired him. So Jim had insight into the makeup, toughness. I really think the body of work and all the additional film study, but his size and his hands are outstanding. His competes… I don’t know how many critical… He was just a player who excelled in crunch time. I think he had a walk-off or a couple of these big plays. Obviously , he’s physical, but the player comp for me—forget the jersey number—just a lot of traits that Mike had, especially at the line of scrimmage.”
Michael Thomas at one point was considered one of the top wide receivers in the NFL and was the favorite target of Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees. So, it’s quite the comparison, but Bryant quickly started to prove why Payton made that comparison in the first place.
Bryant would go on to have a solid training camp and preseason and flashed his talent, receiving ability, and sure hands. However, he was buried on the depth chart behind veteran Courtland Sutton, breakout wide receiver Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims, so it was a slow start for the rookie wide receiver.
However, as the season went on, Bryant became a bigger part of the offense and passing game, catching his first career touchdown during the Broncos’ blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys. His season-high game came in Week 11 vs. the Chiefs when he had 5 receptions for 82 yards during the Broncos’ thrilling victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Unfortunately for Bryant and the Broncos, injuries began piling up late in the year, including two concussions in a short period of time, and he was ultimately a non-factor during their postseason run, which was disappointing. Before that, it seemed like Bryant was pushing to be the Broncos’ WR2 or at least WR3, and you could see the trust and chemistry building between him and quarterback Bo Nix.
Now, in year two with the Broncos, Pat Bryant has an opportunity to make a big jump. As we know, the team made a blockbuster trade for explosive wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and he will pair with veteran Courtland Sutton as the Broncos’ starting wide receivers. However, that WR3 role is wide open, and in my mind, Pat Bryant seems like the favorite for that job.
With that said, the competition for that WR3 role will be tough. Bryant will be competing with Troy Franklin, who had a breakout season in 2025, and big-play Marvin Mims, who was the hero in the postseason. You can easily make a strong case for those two players and call them the favorites for the WR3 job as well. Ultimately, I anticipate we will see all three have their moments this upcoming season, but one of them has an opportunity to separate themselves from the competition, and I believe Pat Bryant is that guy.
Player Profile
Pat Bryant | Wide Receiver | Denver Broncos
- Height: 6-2
- Weight: 204 pounds
- Age: 23 years old
- Experience: 2nd season
- Arm Length: 31 1/8 inches
- Hand Size: 9.5 inches
- 40-time: 4.61 seconds
- Vertical Jump: 37.5 inches
- Broad Jump: 10-4
- 2025 stats: 31 receptions for 378 yards and 1 touchdown
Pat Bryant’s 2026 outlook with the Denver Broncos
Bryant will be competing for the Broncos WR3 role behind Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton and will be looking to put the late-season injury bug behind him. Between early December and the Broncos’ AFC Championship Game, Bryant suffered two hamstring injuries and two concussions (about one month between the two). I am not overly worried about the hamstring issues, but two concussions in that short period of time is concerning, and hopefully something he can avoid moving forward.
As for his competition for the WR3 role, I think he has a strong shot at being that guy. Before the injuries started piling up, Bryant was arguably the Broncos’ most reliable wide receiver and seemed to be carving out a significant role in the offense. If he can continue that into year two with added development and growth, I think he could run away with this job.
Bryant can play inside or outside; he has sure hands, he’s a physical blocker, and he can make plays over the middle of the field. With attention going to Waddle and Sutton, Bryant could be in a favorable position to make some plays this upcoming season. You can make similar arguments for Franklin and Mims as well, but I believe Bryant’s skill set favors him in this role.
All eyes will be on the WR3 battle throughout OTAs and minicamp, and of course into training camp and the preseason. It’s going to be a tough battle between three talented young wide receivers, and you can make a strong case for all three of them. Ultimately, all three will have roles in the offense and passing game in some capacity, but how it all shakes out is TBD right now. I am excited to see how this battle shakes out.
Final Thoughts
I am a fan of Pat Bryant’s game, and if I had to pick an early favorite for the WR3 battle, it would be him. He is a reliable pass catcher, a dog in the run game, and just can do things that Sean Payton seems to like from his wide receivers. This is not a knock on Franklin or Mims, who can easily win this job too, but that’s where I stand right now.
I am concerned about his concussion history. Two in less than a month is not what you want, and I hope this is something he can put behind them. He was wearing the Guardian Cap late last season, so we’ll see if that continues, and if it does, hopefully it helps prevent these from piling up moving forward.
Ultimately, I am excited to see this WR3 battle play out. Today I am making a strong case for Pat Bryant, and my gut tells me he is the favorite. However, I could easily do the same with Franklin and Mims, so it’ll be exciting to see this play out.
At the end of the day, the Broncos have a talented and deep room at wide receiver, and all five will be a part of this offense and its success moving forward. I have high hopes for Pat Bryant, and we’ll see how he does in his second season with the team.
