Mile High Report
The speedy Troy Franklin could have a breakout year this upcoming season.
After going home and sleeping on it, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton woke up wanting to draft Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin. He even texted GM George Paton early that morning, alerting him of his desire to trade up and select Franklin. After making some calls, the Broncos were indeed able to trade up and select Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin with their 102nd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Franklin was reuniting with his college teammate and quarterback, Bo Nix, in Denver, and expectations were high for the rookie wide receiver. However, things started slowly for Franklin in Denver. He was not a standout player for the Broncos throughout training camp and the preseason and seemed to be passed by seventh-round rookie Devaughn Vele on the depth chart. That carried over into the regular season, where Franklin didn’t see his first catch until their week three game vs. the Bucs.
Despite this, Franklin did flash some ability to get open downfield, but had issues simply catching the ball, OR Bo Nix would overthrow him just by a little bit. Despite their chemistry in college, the two seemed to have a hard time connecting consistently in the NFL.
It wasn’t all bad for Franklin. He would catch his first career touchdown vs. the Chargers during their week 6 matchup, and his playing time started to increase. During their Thursday Night blowout victory vs. the Saints, Franklin saw a total of six targets and finished the game with 5 receptions for 50 yards.
He was used sporadically throughout the rest of the season, getting a handful of targets each game, and would find the end zone against the Falcons on a screen play. While the production wasn’t amazing, he was still being used weekly in the offense and continued to flash the potential for the big impact play.
That potential turned into reality during the Broncos' wildcard matchup with the Buffalo Bills. During their opening series against the heavily favored Bills, Bo Nix and Franklin finally connected on a deep play, leading to a touchdown and the Broncos taking an early 7-0 lead. Things went south for the Broncos quickly after this play, but it did show the potential that Franklin can bring to the offense.
Now, entering his first full offseason with the Broncos and still very young at 22 years old, the explosive Franklin could be on the verge of a breakout year.
The Broncos' wide receiver room is suddenly pretty crowded. You have Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Devaughn Vele, rookie Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin, and a number of undrafted rookies...
