Broncos draft preview: Should Denver look for depth beyond Talanoa Hufanga?

Editor’s note: Last in a series of NFL draft previews as it relates to the Broncos. Previously: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, defensive line, edge rushers, inside linebackers and cornerbacks. Today: safeties.

Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Signed Talanoa Hufanga and Sam Franklin Jr., tendered Devon Key.

Under contract: P.J. Locke (one year), Brandon Jones (two years), Talanoa Hufanga (three years), Sam Franklin Jr. (one year), Delarrin Turner-Yell (one year), JL Skinner (two years), Tanner McCalister (one year), Devon Key (one year), Keidron Smith (one year)

Need scale (1-10): 3. The Broncos are pretty well set up here, same as inside linebacker, after a new signee from San Francisco. At full strength, Hufanga and Jones could form one of the best safety duos in the league. The key, of course, is at full strength, as Hufanga has played a combined 17 games across the past two seasons. P.J. Locke was stretched as a starter last year, but should provide depth. Beyond Locke, though, there are not many high-upside developmental pieces, which could lead Denver to perhaps look at a mid- or late-round name in Green Bay.

Top five

Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina: Just a nuts athlete — one of the best in this 2025 class, regardless of position. Emmanwori stands at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, and jumped a 43-inch vertical. What do you do with that? Pick him in the first round, to answer a rhetorical question. Denver met with Emmanwori and a group of teammates at South Carolina’s pro day in March, for what it’s worth.

Malaki Starks, Georgia: Some have Starks ranked above Emmanwori, and the production is real in three years, mixing it up with the big boys at Georgia. Starks is a strong tackler, but he might not have as much upside in coverage as Emmanwori.

Xavier Watts, Notre Dame: Watts got better every year and capped it off with a 2024 where he did everything for a College Football Playoff finalist. Coverage? Six picks and just 17 catches allowed on 32 targets, per PFF. Run-stopping? 82 tackles. Safety blitzes? Seven pressures. He misses a few tackles, but Watts profiles as a great NFL prospect for his ball skills.

Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State: A torn ACL wiped out Winston’s 2024 season and depressed his value. But when healthy, Winston is elite both in coverage and against the run — a rare combination that could make him a Day 2 steal. He ran a 4.50 40 at Penn State’s Pro Day in late March, according to The Daily Collegian.

Andrew Mukuba, Texas: There are a few options here, but Mukuba was good for Texas in 2024 after transferring from Clemson, picking off five passes and allowing a puny 44% catch rate on his targets, per PFF. He’ll have to prove his size can translate to the NFL level, though, standing at 5-foot-11 with 30-inch arms.

More Broncos options

Kitan Crawford, Nevada: The most obvious Broncos option possible. Crawford recently took a top-30 visit to Denver, and the Broncos have kept tabs on him, a potential mid-round value play after transferring to Nevada in 2024 from Texas. Crawford stands just 5-foot-11 but has the athleticism to make up for it with a 4.41 40-yard dash and 41.5-inch vertical.

Craig Woodson, Cal: Another sleeper Denver’s checked in on, with a varying array of draft ranges. He’s CBS Sports’ 10th-ranked safety, but not even listed on ESPN’s big board. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was at Cal’s Pro Day, and Woodson was a bright spot of a middling Cal program in 2024, breaking up six passes and rarely missing tackles.

Dante Trader Jr., Maryland: With your safety tandem set, how about a flier on a grinder? Trader has a unique story, originally signing with Maryland to play lacrosse and serving as a two-sport star with the Terrapins in 2023. His measurables aren’t the best, but he was excellent as a tackler.

Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma: He may get snatched up higher, but Bowman could be a great value play in the middle rounds. He picked off six passes in 2023 at Oklahoma and has legit athleticism with a 4.42 40-yard dash. Only problem: he struggled mightily as a tackler, missing tackles on roughly 25% of his attempts throughout his college career, according to Pro Football Focus.

Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin: Not hard to connect the dots here — Wohler played for two years under now-Broncos pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard at Wisconsin. His breakout came a year after Leonhard left, a rangy secondary captain who racked up 120 tackles as a junior. He’s currently projected as a Day 3 pick, and could be an impact player on special teams.

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