RJ Harvey

Harvey was originally recruited to Virginia to play quarterback, but at 5-foot-8, 205 pounds that would have been a disorienting sight. Harvey found his true calling upon transferring to UCF, where he moved to running back and quickly caught fire. After an initial redshirt season Harvey went nuts over the next three years, turning 576 carries into 3,789 yards (6.6 YPC) and 43 touchdowns in 38 games. Harvey was also lethal as a receiver, turning 79 targets into 61 receptions for 720 yards and five touchdowns (77.2 percent catch rate, 9.1 YPT). While he might look small at a glance, Harvey is densely built for his height and his low center of gravity lends him a great deal of natural anchor, making it easy for Harvey to slip under defenders who can't generate the necessary leverage. This ability to break tackles while avoiding direct hits allowed Harvey to thrive as a workhorse the last two years, and it's possible he'll emerge as the clear starting running back in Denver after they selected him in the second round of the 2025 draft, 60th overall. Jaleel McLaughlin is largely just a smaller, slower version of Harvey, and 2024 fifth-round pick Audric Estime might not earn much more than power-specialist functions. Perhaps Harvey was a surprising second-round pick, but no one should be surprised if he takes over the Denver offense in 2025. Read Past Outlooks