Smoke screen season is in full effect on the eve of the 2025 NFL Draft. While a bunch of information flows across league circles, it's impossible to know what's real or an elaborate deception plot. Teams are trying to throw rival front offices off their trail, as are those affiliated with said organizations, including pundits and insiders.
Benjamin Allbright, who covers the Denver Broncos for KOA Colorado, is a nationally renowned reporter. However, he's also become known for cunning trickery around this period of the NFL calendar. Mile High fans should be familiar with this after experiencing it first-hand with quarterback Bo Nix and heed that when assessing his annual mock draft.
It's no secret that the Broncos plan to replenish their backfield via the draft. Head coach Sean Payton has been (very) open about that. Knowing this, Allbright projects Denver to select Ohio State standout running back TreVeyon Henderson with the 20th overall pick this year. But can you take his word at face value?
Broncos insider projecting Denver to spend a first-round pick on RB TreVeyon Henderson might be a red herring
Allbright intentionally didn’t put Nix to the Broncos last year. He projected them to trade down with the Philadelphia Eagles and land edge rusher/eventual AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse at No. 22. Nonetheless, folks decoded his cryptic message in a social media post afterward that spelled out “IT’S BO."
Regardless of how you feel about Henderson, if you're a member of Broncos Country, take Allbright's forecast with a massive grain of salt. He could be trying to mislead the public and play coy for Denver's best interest. Knowing his intel and connections within the franchise hold weight, is the local radio host keeping the squad's true intentions close to the chest?
For whatever it's worth, the Broncos have done their due diligence on Henderson. They recently hosted him for a top-30 visit, though they're far from the only ones. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders have all met with him. But Payton's desire to upgrade the RB room gives Allbright's prediction some legs.
Henderson certainly merits the buzz he's garnering. The 2024 Third Team All-Big Ten back exceeded 1,100 scrimmage yards in three of four seasons at Ohio State despite sharing the backfield throughout college. His 7.1 yards per carry led the conference, plus many tout him as an excellent pass-blocker, which Payton covets.