Mile High Report
As Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft was nearing its end, the Denver Broncos still had one player on their board that they really wanted to get. So, they called up the Philadelphia Eagles and traded up to the 101st overall selection to select LSU defensive lineman Sai’vion Jones.
During their post-day 2 presser, head coach Sean Payton talked about the moment where they realized they wanted to move up to get Jones, who was their lone player left on the board at that point.
The interesting thing was… You’re always hoping in each draft you have that lone magnet [on the draft board]. He was kind of that lone magnet where we sat and we’re like, ‘Wow.’ I think that both George and I felt like 14 picks earlier, that was going to be a hard one to get. We just felt like that player was going to come off the board. Fortunately for us, he was there still.”
Sai’vion Jones is a 6-5, 289-pound defensive lineman who the Broncos viewed as a high-upside developmental prospect. He has the size, the length (33.5-inch arms), the strength, and the athleticism that you look for in a defensive lineman, and the Broncos saw a player they couldn’t pass up in that moment.
General manager George Paton told reporters that Jones fit the mold of a defensive line player they look for. He added that Jones had room to grow as a player, and due to their defensive line talent and depth, they had time to develop him as a player before inserting him into the lineup.
“He kind of fits our mold of defensive line. The size—six-[feet] six-[inches], 280 [pounds]. We feel like he can continue to grow in that role. He’ll play [defensive] end for us, but he has flexibility down the line of scrimmage. This guy is long. He’s strong [and] plays with really good leverage. Then he’s improving as a rusher. You could see that throughout the season, then you got to the Senior Bowl. We thought he had a really good week and played really well in the game. So he’s just going to keep getting better. [Defensive Line Coach] Jamar Cain has coached him, so again we had insight on him like we did some of the others. I think what sticks out with him is just how hard he plays. The motor—he goes 110 miles per hour every play, so he fits in with our group. He’ll have time to develop as well as he has good guys in front of him.”
The plan was to let him develop behind their depth, and that’s exactly what they did last season. Jones appeared in just 3 games for the Broncos, did not register any tackles, had 1 fumble recovery, and only played 33 snaps on defense. It was basically a red-shirt year for Jones, who now will look to take a big step in year two for the Broncos.
**Sai’vion...
