Many analysts view a draft prospect’s age as the younger being better. However, the Denver Broncos clearly looked at age differently in the 2025 NFL draft, selecting the oldest draft class in the league, with an average age of over 23 years.
2025 NFL Draft picks age distribution pic.twitter.com/5kz7CaZKE9
— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) May 7, 2025
Broncos head coach Sean Payton and GM George Payton weren’t bothered by age, with their first two picks being 23 or older. First-round cornerback Jahdae Barron is 23 and will turn 24 in December, while second-round running back RJ Harvey turned 24 in February.
To round out the class, Denver had third-round wideout Pat Bryant, who is 22 and turns 23 in December, defensive lineman Sai’vion Jones, who turns 22 in July, fourth-round linebacker Que Robinson, who turns 24 on May 12th, sixth-round punter Jeremy Crawshaw, who turns 24 on May 22nd, and seventh-round tight end Caleb Lohner, who turned 24 in January.
Of Denver’s seven picks, only two aren’t 23 or older, with one of those two turning 23 later this year. It’s clear that Payton and Paton didn’t look negatively at age and may have even found it to be a bonus. The Broncos have been working to revamp the locker room and culture, and the maturity of the rookies is likely a factor they’re prioritizing.
This differs from the Broncos’ 2024 draft class, where quarterback Bo Nix, wide receiver Devaughn Vele, and offensive lineman Nick Garguilo were all 23 or older. The rest of the class was relatively young, including running back Audric Estime, one of the youngest players in the class. It would be interesting to know why there was a drastic change from the 2024 draft to 2025, but some assumptions can be made.
On top of age, the Broncos also valued leadership qualities in their players. These all go hand in hand with experience (aka age) and with helping them step into a role immediately in the NFL.
The Broncos have a solid roster, but Payton needed to fill a few roles on his offense, and he got them in Harvey and Bryant. The Broncos needed a punter so Crawshaw could step in and take the job.
Defensively, Barron can contribute immediately, as can Robinson on special teams. The only one on defense who’s young and needs time to grow and develop is Jones, but Denver has the players ahead of him to help them roll with a younger player.
Lohner is the only one who doesn’t fit this mold. He is older for a rookie and extremely raw, with only 57 snaps of college football played. But with one of the last 20 picks in the draft and other teams interested in the athletic tight end, it was clear what Payton saw. Plus, Lohner’s age and maturity could help fast-track his development.
There is a correlation between the roster’s status and the Broncos’ contentment with older and experienced players. The team also has to factor in that younger players can often get crushed by the weight of playing in the NFL, while older players might have the maturity to handle the pressure and fame of being a pro.
Even though the Broncos boast the oldest 2025 draft class on average, it’s still an enticing haul. Payton and Paton think the Broncos’ window for a Super Bowl is open or close to opening, and they didn’t want to wait for younger guys to develop over two or three years, and older players tend to make a more immediate impact in the NFL.
Only time will tell if they were right.
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