Denver Broncos late-round rookie making it hard for team not to keep him

Travis Wakeman

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Denver Broncos late-round rookie making it hard for team not to keep him image

The Denver Broncos seem to have found one of those late-round picks who could turn out to be quite special. Devaughn Vele has been superb since joining the team. 

There were some moans and groans from within Broncos Country when the team used a seventh-round pick on him back in April. Though it was a late-round choice and many of those are dart throws, the idea of adding a 26-year-old rookie wasn't exciting to most. 

But from the moment the team showed up for minicamp earlier this spring, Vele has been looking like a player willing to make the most of this chance. 

The Broncos are going to have great competition at the wide receiver position, but Vele is going to be in the conversation the entire time. 

Breaking down the Denver Broncos' WR depth chart

We took a look at the wide receiver position before training camp got underway. The Broncos also released their first unofficial depth chart earlier this week. Vele is towards the bottom on both of those. However, he is quickly rising the ranks. 

After this incredible catch in practice on Thursday, you can literally feel Vele's stock rising. It already was before that, but it's becoming more difficult to ignore. 

 

The following wide receivers are going to make this team:

Courtland Sutton
Marvin Mims Jr.
Josh Reynolds
Troy Franklin

The team also has Tim Patrick. Is there a spot for Vele? The Broncos may need to find one because if they cut him and expose him to waivers, they may never see him again. 

If Vele performs in preseason games the same way he has in camp, he is going to have to be part of the team, even if it comes at the expense of someone like Patrick. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.