The Broncos found themselves a running back.
They selected Central Florida running back R.J. Harvey with the 60th overall pick of the NFL draft on Friday evening.
Harvey ran for nearly 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2024 for the Knights and has been productive for the past three seasons. In 2023, he rushed for 1,416 yards and 16 touchdowns. Harvey in three seasons also caught 61 passes for 720 yards and four touchdowns.
“That call was the most joyful moment of my life,” Harvey said after getting picked. “It’s a blessing. I’m just so excited.”
Harvey is an Orlando native, but he didn’t go to local UCF right away. Instead he started his career at Virginia as a quarterback after playing the position throughout high school. He grew up idolizing not famous running backs but Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick.
Harvey said UCF recruited him out of high school as a running back, but instead wanted to try to play quarterback first. Eventually, he made his way back home, settled into his new position and became one of the most productive backs in the country.
“I”m happy I made the right move,” Harvey said.
Before taking Harvey, Denver traded back twice, first from No. 51 to No. 57 and then to No. 60.
In trades with Carolina and Detroit, the Broncos also moved up 11 slots in the third round to No. 74, 11 spots in the fourth to No. 111 and added a fourth-rounder at No. 130. They gave up one of their sixth-round picks, so they remain at seven selections in the draft overall.
The pair of trade-backs came after the Broncos watched Ohio State running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson get drafted in the first handful of selections of the second round. So, too, did wide receivers Jayden Higgins (Iowa State) and Luther Burden (Missouri).
Then former Denver assistant general manager Darren Mougey swooped in and took LSU tight end Mason Taylor at No. 42 overall. Another tight end came off the board at No. 46 when the Los Angeles Rams selected Terrance Ferguson, the Littleton native and former teammate of Broncos quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon.
The Broncos had prioritized finding at least one running back in this draft class and Harvey said he’s excited head coach Sean Payton, who has had a series of dynamic backs over his head coaching career, has confidence in him.
“It means everything,” Harvey said. “He has a great reputation of having great running backs and I’m just excited to get into his system and do whatever I can to help my team win, move the ball down the field and get touchdowns.”
RJ Harvey, UCF
Round/pick: 2nd/No. 60
Age: 24
Height/weight: 5-foot-8, 205 pounds
College: UCF
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Notable: Harvey put up huge production across the last two seasons at UCF, running for 2,993 yards and 38 touchdowns combined in 2023 and 2024. He profiles, potentially, as the playmaker in space that Payton and the Broncos have been searching for at running back, running a 4.40-second 40-yard-dash at the NFL combine. Harvey was a dual-threat quarterback in high school, not moving full-time to running back until his freshman year at Virginia.
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Originally Published: April 25, 2025 at 7:19 PM MDT
