NFL Draft Profile: Broncos running back RJ Harvey

The Denver Broncos selected UCF running back RJ Harvey in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft with their 60th overall selection.

The Denver Broncos selected UCF running back RJ Harvey in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft with their 60th overall selection. He is a 5’8”, 205-pound running back who was ultra-productive in college and is viewed as one of the top backs in this year’s draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Harvey graded as his 93rd overall player in the 2025 NFL Draft and ranks him as his 8th best back in the draft.

Harvey played a total of four seasons at UCF and is coming off back-to-back productive seasons for them. During his four seasons, he appeared in 41 games and had 579 carries for 3,792 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, and had 43 rushing touchdowns while also having 61 receptions for 720 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns. This past season, he appeared in 12 games and had 232 carries for 1,577 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry, and 22 rushing touchdowns while having 20 receptions for 267 yards, and 3 receiving touchdowns.

Player Profile

RJ Harvey | Running Back | UCF

• Height: 5’8”
• Weight: 205 pounds
• Hands: 9 inches
• Arm Length: 29 inches
• Age: 24 years old
• 40-Yard Dash: 4.4 seconds
• 10-Yard Split: 1.52 seconds
• Vertical Jump: 38 inches
• Broad Jump: 10’7”
• 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.34 seconds
• Bench Press: 16 reps

Film Room

Scouting Report

Strengths

• Excellent vision
• He is an explosive back who can hit a home run whenever he has the ball in his hands
• Extremely productive in college and had a nose for the end zone
• Can make you miss in a phone booth
• Good short-area elusiveness
• Impressive contact balance
• Upside as a pass-catcher
• Dangerous in the open field
• Impressive burst
• Team Captain

Weaknesses

• 24 years old
• Not an overly powerful runner
• Not the best pass protector
• ACL injury in 2021

RJ Harvey RAS

What other analysts are saying about UCF running back RJ Harvey

The Athletic’s lead draft analyst, Dane Brugler, on RB RJ Harvey

Though he doesn’t have the power to drive through the first level, he is a dynamic make-you-miss runner with his tempo and burst (54 carries of 10 or more yards in 2024), which made him a frequent visitor to the end zone (UCF-record 48 total touchdowns). He is below average as a pass-protecting blocker but has the tools to be a weapon catching the ball on screens and wheels. Overall, Harvey needs to develop better consistency on passing downs, but he is skilled at patiently settling his feet and changing lanes with his instinctive field vision and lateral quickness. Similar in ways to Tyjae Spears, he projects best in a timeshare role in the NFL.

NFL.com’s draft analyst Lance Zierlein on RB RJ Harvey

Productive, blue-collar back with a compact frame and a willingness to get his nose dirty on each snap. Harvey lacks creativity and burst but adds yards after contact with contact balance and lower-body strength. While he’s well built, he’s not a big back by NFL standards, so he needs to run with better vision and tempo to get past second-level defenders at a decent rate. He’s a dump-and-dash pass catcher with below-average pass protection, so he’s unlikely to compete for third-down reps. Harvey’s will as a runner is admirable, but backup duty might be his ceiling.

How RB RJ Harvey fits with the Denver Broncos

So, why did the Broncos draft Harvey? It’s simple, they needed a difference maker at the running back position.

Last season, we saw Javonte Williams plod for a sub-4.0 YPC, rookie Audric Estime struggle when given an opportunity, and an undersized Jaleel McLaughlin attempt to lead the Broncos’ backfield. All three struggled, and the Broncos lacked a consistent run game all season. Due to that, improving their run game was a priority this offseason.

We didn’t see the Broncos add anything during free agency, but running back was the focus leading up to the draft. We thought maybe they would address it in the first round, but decided to go the BPA approach and add cornerback Jahdae Barron. Finally, in the second round after two trades, the Broncos found their back in Harvey.

There is a lot to like about Harvey’s game. Excellent vision, a home run waiting to happen, and has a nose for the end zone. The past two seasons, he has 38 total rushing touchdowns, including 22 rushing touchdowns this past season. If you add in his 3 receiving touchdowns, he had 25 total touchdowns this past season, which is insane. Another crazy stat is that Harvey recorded more rushing yards last year than 30 FBS programs, including 20 Power 4 teams and five Big 12 schools.

He is a great addition to the Broncos’ backfield and simply a player who has the potential to thrive in Sean Payton’s offense. Giving Bo Nix an explosive run game would be huge for the promising looking second-year quarterback.