Pro golfer Wyndham Clark came out of nowhere to win the 2023 U.S. Open — and now, he’s hoping some clutch draft picks can help his Denver Broncos chart a similar underdog path to Super Bowl 60.
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Growing up in Highlands Ranch, just a 30-minute drive up I-25 to Denver, Clark is a lifelong Broncos fan. And you can tell he’s a real fan because he knows exactly what Denver’s biggest need is right now: tight end.
The Broncos probably had the worst TE room in the NFL last year if we’re talking strictly offensive production separate from blocking. Sean Payton, Bo Nix, and company were well aware of that: TEs were targeted just 72 times (third-fewest), and those targets made up just 13.1 percent of Nix’s passes (second-fewest).
That’s why a lot of chatter surrounding the Broncos this offseason has been on the topic of the tight end. Denver has a strong history of the position with guys like Shannon Sharpe and Julius Thomas. They haven’t had one that topped 700 yards since Thomas did it in 2013, however.
Fortunately, the 2025 tight end draft class is both strong and deep, making it a prime opportunity for the Broncos to address the position with their No. 20 overall pick. And that’s exactly what the PGA Tour’s No. 8-ranked golfer emphasized on Up & Adams.
“I want [Michigan TE Colston] Loveland. I told you. I want a tight end. I want a game-breaking tight end. I feel like tight ends are more valuable to me than a good wide receiver. You see it in [Travis] Kelce, it’s so hard to guard (him),” he said.
And Kay Adams responded, “That joker thing that [Sean Payton]’s obsessed with. Love that.”
The host was actually referring to a phrase Sean Payton coined a while back to describe running backs and tight ends who can wreak havoc in the passing game: a joker. Payton explained the term back in early February during a guest appearance on the same Up & Adams show with Kay.
“We do the evaluation of our team and the purpose of that is then to establish what we call ‘musts, need, and wants.’ I would say we need a joker,” Payton said.
“And a joker can be a tight end or a running back… Those are interior, either tight ends or running backs, and they have to be elite receivers. That play tight end or running back. Then you get the matchups… and we had quite of few of them [in New Orleans].”
Broncos HC Sean Payton on his team NEEDS this offseason @heykayadams @SeanPayton @Broncos | #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/mZlmjyxLFP
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 5, 2025
Payton also mentioned a litany of players he deemed “jokers” during his time in New Orleans. Tight ends like Jimmy Graham and Jeremy Shockey as well as running backs like Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, and Alvin Kamara.
With a solid group of young wide receivers on the outside, essentially what Payton is looking for is someone to open up the middle of the field for Bo Nix. The young QB loves to throw the short and intermediate routes.
Both the RB and TE classes for 2025 are pretty strong. The tight end room is the one that has really underperformed for Denver in recent years, however. The 134 targets they’ve given to TEs across the 2023-2024 seasons are the fewest in the league by a country mile.
That’s because they haven’t had anyone better than Adam Trautman. They were one of just two teams last year (Indianapolis Colts) without a TE that eclipsed 200 yards.
As a result, names like Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, and Gunnar Helm have been on the lips of many Denver faithful. Sitting with the No. 20 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the top-rated Warren might not be available for them. However, Wyndham Clark’s guy, Loveland, should be, and is coming off a season where he was named Second-Team All-American.
He’s big (6’5″, 245 pounds), a smooth route-runner, great after the catch, and has the speed and athleticism to create mismatches against linebackers.
Helm, a Denver area native with a third-round grade, has already visited Denver as well. Loveland was their first-round pick in nine of the 19 mock drafts published by major publications recently.
