The Denver Broncos decided to hold off on making decisions about several veteran players with expiring contracts this offseason. However, the team made a notable move by drafting veteran star from LSU in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. This could delay those veteran contract talks a bit longer.
Selected at No. 101 overall, he is a versatile, larger defensive lineman capable of playing both inside and outside.
He could see significant playing time early in his career with the Broncos.
“The 6-foot-5, 283-pound Jones may be the player with the best chance to vastly outperform his draft slot,” wrote The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider on May 5. “He had a standout 2024 season, recording 43 pressures, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.”
Jones, just 21 years old, is still developing as a pass rusher. Kosmider noted that he could offer an upgrade over Jordan Jackson, who played 27% of defensive snaps last season but lacks the same explosiveness and length as Jones. With his combination of size, skill, and SEC experience, Jones is expected to make an early impact on the Broncos’ defensive line.
Kosmider called Sai’vion Jones the Broncos’ “best value pick” of the 2025 draft.
A Louisiana native, Jones has connections to the Broncos’ coaching staff, including defensive line coach Jamar Cain, who was an assistant at LSU in 2022. Jones is excited about joining the Broncos.
“It’s great,” Jones said, according to Broncos Wire’s Jon Heath on May 4. “I’m glad he’s there, not because I knew he was going to pick me, I didn’t know that. Just the fact that he knows the kind of player coming into the facility already. He knows I’m going to give 100 percent and do whatever they ask me to do.”
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Jones as his EDGE19 and outside the top 100 prospects before the draft.
“Jones doesn’t have top-tier cornering speed and makes himself too big of a target at the top of his rush when attempting to win high-side,” Brugler wrote in April. “But he excels when using his long arms to fight through contact and pressure the quarterback, or when defending the run along the line (NFL scouts often highlight his toughness as a key asset).”
Brugler added, “Jones still needs to refine his hand usage and pad level, but he plays long, strong, and persistent as a downhill force against both the pass and run. He hasn’t reached his ceiling yet and has the potential to become a solid depth piece on an NFL defensive line.”
Sai’vion Jones Pick Part of ‘Growth’ From Broncos HC Sean Payton
Leading up to the draft, the Broncos were often rumored to be a team looking to trade up, possibly to select running back Ashton Jeanty or one of the tight ends, Colston Loveland or T.J. Warren. However, the Broncos opted to stay put in the first round and even traded back twice in the second round.
One of the picks they acquired, from the Philadelphia Eagles, was used to select Sai’vion Jones.
The selection of Sai’vion Jones wasn’t just notable for the player itself but also for the process that led him to the Broncos, which drew attention to head coach Sean Payton’s decision-making.
“(Trading down) probably shows some level of growth with Payton, but it also might shed light on some of the things that happened in New Orleans, like trading up for the rusher Marcus Davenport,” an anonymous executive told The Athletic’s Mike Sando on May 1. “There could be more of a healthy tension in Denver.”
While Payton had expressed a willingness to trade up before the 2024 draft, Sando highlighted Broncos GM George Paton’s history with the Minnesota Vikings, where trade-ups were much less common.
In the end, the more conservative approach prevailed.
Sai’vion Jones’ Arrival Could Put Veterans on Notice
Two of the key items left on the Broncos’ to-do list are the contract situations of defensive linemen John Franklin-Myers and Zach Allen, both of whom are in the final year of their current deals.
Allen, 27, earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2024 after posting career highs with 61 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and a safety.
Franklin-Myers, 28, also set career bests in 2024, recording 40 total tackles and 7.0 sacks.
Jones’ arrival could ease some of the pressure the Broncos might have felt to address the contract situations of Franklin-Myers and Allen. The speed at which Jones adjusts to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s scheme could play a role in accelerating a decision on those veterans’ futures.