Should You Be Drafting Devaughn Vele Right Now?

What They're Saying

Troy Renck of The Denver Post: "Watch the slants. Crunch the stats. And it is hard not to come to this conclusion: Wide receiver Devaughn Vele will be a breakout star for the Broncos this season."

Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado radio: "My main observation at Broncos OTAs: It's Vele szn."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

HC Sean Payton has also talked up third-year WR Marvin Mims and second-year WR Troy Franklin. He has said he likes his group of WRs more than others seem to, and Denver's offseason backed that up.

Despite Courtland Sutton dominating targets and production in 2024, the Broncos added only third-round pick Pat Bryant to the position.

Renck posits Vele as a potential "long-term answer as [Sutton's] replacement," if the wideout doesn't get an extension beyond this season.

We'll see about the long-term outlook for a second-year receiver who's already 27. But there's room for Vele to take a larger role this year.

He ranked third on the team and second among WRs in targets as a seventh-round rookie, trailing only Sutton and Lil'Jordan Humphrey in snaps at the position.

Best Ball Impact

There's still some role sorting to do among Broncos wideouts this summer. But the biggest relative mark in Vele's favor is his late ADP.

Vele's WR98 best ball ADP finds him about eight rounds behind Mims in Underdog Fantasy drafts, and about three rounds behind Bryant (though slightly ahead of Franklin).

There's little risk in taking shots on Vele at that level, especially if you already have QB Bo Nix rostered.

Other Winners & Losers

It's tough to envision multiple winners among Denver WRs behind Sutton this season. So the summer competition for roles will be worth watching.