Sean Payton was in the midst of making a point about something else Saturday after Day 2 of Broncos rookie minicamp when he noted one of the day’s clearest developments.
Wide receiver Devaughn Vele, the seventh-round draft pick out of Utah, stood out during practice and not just because he’s 6-foot-4.
“If you didn’t know, you would have said, ‘Man, Vele seems to have a pretty good rapport with Bo (Nix) today,’” Payton said.
The point he set out to make was that Nix and fourth-round receiver Troy Franklin might benefit from having played together in college, but now that they’re rookies playing in a different offense, different league and with different teammates, that shared history might be, “a little overblown.”
Anything can be overblown in May, but the Broncos head coach was clearly impressed by Vele, the 26-year-old rookie.
“He’s got good instincts and he has really, really good ball skills,” Payton said. “In these two practices he’s moved better than I even thought for a guy his height.”
Vele’s not exactly the typical college prospect coming out. He did a two-year mission before playing five seasons at Utah, making him one of the oldest players in a draft class littered with prospects who used extra eligibility.
He put up solid numbers the past two seasons that brighten with context. Vele had 55 catches for 695 yards in 2022, second on the Utes behind now-Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid. Last year, he caught 43 passes for 593 yards but did so on a team that averaged just 165 passing yards per game and played the entire season without starting quarterback Cam Rising.
The Broncos liked him, drafted him No. 235 overall and right away used another overlooked receiver out of Utah as the player comp: Tim Patrick.
“He was just too talented to pass up,” general manager George Paton said after the draft. “We had a clear vision for him fitting in with what we are doing. (He) is still young, relatively speaking. He plays a mature game. He has all the traits. He’s prototype, he’s big and fast. For a big guy, he can get in and out of his breaks.”
Then Vele showed up to rookie minicamp wearing No. 81, Patrick’s number before he switched to No. 12 last year.
“I actually didn’t even know he wore No. 81, so big coincidence,” Vele said. “… He’s a great player and I try to model my game after all the greats, so it’s good to have somebody that I can look up to and kind of get under his wing.”
Patrick has missed the past two seasons due to injuries but Payton had planned to use him in a variety of ways, including as a big slot. Vele projects in a similar way, the coach said, as somebody who can operate in the middle of the field or play the “X.”
“It’s just a lot of practice and a lot of repetition and a lot of extra work,” Vele said of that versatility. “Putting in a lot of extra work is going to help you get comfortable in game situations.”
There’s much more to prove to make good on the Patrick comparison. Toughness. Special teams. Leadership. But from a traits perspective, Payton sees the players in a similar way.
“He’s 6-4, but he’s low cut, so long torso, and I think that helps him in his movement skills,” Payton said. “But there are certain players that we talk about that we know are high-traffic players. Those are like forwards in basketball. … So when we look at congested catches in traffic, yards after catch, there are certain types of players who are going to play in the game. He’s that player that’s proven at the college level that he’s comfortable inside the numbers — not to say he can’t play outside the numbers.”
So far, Broncos top receiver Courtland Sutton has skipped the team’s voluntary workouts. Assuming he’s back for training camp — Sutton’s under contract for two more years and would incur fines for missing camp or Denver’s three-day mandatory minicamp in June — Denver’s got what is shaping up to be an interesting competition at receiver. Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr. and Josh Reynolds are joined by Patrick, the rookie duo of Franklin and Vele and others like Brandon Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
A strong rookie minicamp doesn’t lock up a roster spot, but Vele’s off to a good start.
Transaction wire: The Broncos re-signed veteran wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and added rookie cornerback Quinton Newsome on Monday, the team announced.
Dorsett said via social media that he expected to return after being released Friday ahead of rookie minicamp. The Post previously reported that Newsome, a former University of Nebraska cornerback, had agreed to a free agent deal with $85,000 guaranteed plus a $15,000 signing bonus but wouldn’t have the deal finalized until after the minicamp.
To make room, Denver waived punter Nik Constantinou and wide receiver Lincoln Victor.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
