Latest news with #Sai'vionJones
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why Broncos' draft was about sustaining one of the NFL's best defensive fronts
Sai'vion Jones heard from some of his new teammates among the Denver Broncos' defensive front in the days after the team selected him in the third round of last month's NFL Draft. The defensive end from LSU emerged from those brief interactions eager to begin forming more substantive bonds with the veterans once they join the first-year players at OTAs later this month. Advertisement Until then, Jones spent time getting familiar with the considerable skill sets of the players he'd be lining up with once practices began, poring over film from a 2024 season that saw Denver lead the NFL with 63 sacks, a franchise record. He watched how the group worked in concert, seamlessly executing stunts and other pass-rushing wiles to free up lanes to the quarterback. Asked for his evaluation of the group, Jones' initial response was more of a sound than a word. 'Sheeeesh!' he said. It was a fair summation of Denver's attacking defensive front last season. The top four players in sacks — Nik Bonitto (13.5), Jonathan Cooper (10.5), Zach Allen (8.5) and John Franklin-Myers (seven) — all set new career-high marks in QB takedowns. First-year players Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman added five apiece. It was a group that played selflessly, all eager to absorb chips and double-teams on any given play because they knew it meant someone else would be making a beeline to the quarterback. A whopping 97.6 percent of that production remains on Denver's roster heading into 2025. Cody Barton (1.5 sacks in 2024) is the only player who contributed to last year's total no longer on the team. 'Just being able to study their game and be in a room with the team that produced the most sacks in the league, it makes you want to study them,' Jones said at the team's rookie minicamp earlier this month. 'Having that chance to be in that room for a young guy like me is like being a sponge, soaking up all of the experience.' Last year was about rearranging the pieces to build one of the best defensive fronts in football. Signing Malcolm Roach in free agency. Trading for Franklin-Myers. Taking Elliss early in the third round. Pursuing Tillman as he was finishing a season in the UFL. All those moves, combined with the continued development of homegrown pass rushers Bonitto and Cooper and a breakthrough season for Allen, hit for the Broncos in a major way. Advertisement The moves Denver made in the draft were about sustainability. 'It's really important to build on a strength when you have them,' general manager George Paton said before adding Jones and Alabama edge rusher Que Robinson in the draft. Sai'vion Jones was drafted in round 3 pick 101 in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.20 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 163 out of 2029 DE from 1987 to 2025. — (@MathBomb) April 26, 2025 The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles have drawn the blueprint on perpetually pouring resources into the front seven on defense, consistently plucking players from SEC schools and throwing them onto an assembly line of quarterback mashers. General manager Howie Roseman did it again in April when he used a late first-round pick on Georgia linebacker Jihaad Campbell, the fourth defensive player from Alabama or Georgia selected by the Eagles in the first round since 2022. Philadelphia has drafted nine defensive players from the SEC in that same span, most of them front-seven figures. Whether the Broncos are following that formula with Jones and Robinson is part of a larger trend or a one-off coincidence will only be revealed with time, but those particular moves will play a big role in how the Broncos try to build their defense long-term. Three of the main figures behind Denver's pass-rushing explosion last season — Bonitto, Allen and Franklin-Myers — are entering the final years of their contracts and each player is in line for a significant raise, be it from the Broncos or another team in free agency. The Broncos extended Cooper late last season on a four-year, $60 million deal. As Denver navigates that financial puzzle, all while operating on the bigger picture that is quarterback Bo Nix's rookie contract window, flexibility is critical. And that's where Jones and Robinson enter the picture. Both players have a path to contributing roles in 2025, but they were drafted with the future featuring more prominently in the overall vision. Advertisement Jones, at 6-foot-5, 289 pounds, is built similarly to Allen and Franklin-Myers, with a lengthy frame the Broncos like at the end position in coordinator Vance Joseph's defense. Despite playing four years at LSU, Jones is only 21, making him the second-youngest player on Denver's roster. He had his best season in 2024, finishing with 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. 'He kind of fits our mold of defensive line,' Paton said. 'We feel like he can continue to grow in that role. He'll play end for us, but he has flexibility down the line of scrimmage. This guy is long. He's strong, plays with really good leverage. Then he's improving as a rusher. You could see that throughout the season, then you got to the Senior Bowl. We thought he had a really good week and played really well in the game. So he's just going to keep getting better.' Robinson was a standout special teams player at Alabama, where he was stuck in a logjam defensively behind first-round picks Will Anderson (2023) and Dallas Turner (2024). His relative breakthrough in 2024 — career-best four sacks in nine games before suffering a season-ending injury — speaks to his pass-rushing upside, but his transition to the NFL could begin as a versatile core piece for new special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. 'I like to win. If that means running down on kickoffs 5,000 times and being on punt 4,000 times, I want to do it,' Robinson said. 'I like to win. That's my huge driving force in terms of being a football player. I just like to win and am willing to do whatever it takes to win a game, for sure.' As easy as the Eagles have made it look while building a defense that has ranked second in sacks and fifth in pressure rate since 2022, sustaining an effective pass rush year over year is a significant roster-building challenge. The Bengals finished 11th in both sacks and pressure rate in 2021, when they came within a drive of winning the Super Bowl. In the three seasons since, they rank 27th in sacks and 22nd in pressure rate, which is a major reason they have missed the playoffs the past two seasons despite having one of the best offensive trios in the sport in quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Broncos that the selections of Jones and Robinson will ultimately help avoid a steep drop from the considerable heights their defensive front has reached. In the meantime, they are sponges ready to absorb. 'Ultimately,' Robinson said of Denver's defense, 'you can learn anything and everything from anybody.' (Top photo of Sav'ion Jones: Maria Lysaker / Imagn Images)
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Broncos' defensive line could be shaken up in 2026
Broncos' defensive line could be shaken up in 2026 Barring several contract extensions, the Denver Broncos' impressive defensive line rotation could look very different in 2026. It's no surprise that Denver used a third-round pick to select Sai'vion Jones in this year's NFL draft because three of the team's defensive linemen are scheduled to become free agents in 2026. The Broncos would probably like to bring them all back, but the salary cap might make that impractical. Denver's two starting defensive ends -- Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers -- are both set to hit free agency in 2026, as is key rotational lineman Malcolm Roach. Allen is probably the team's first priority for a contract extension, but if he gets $25 million per season, it might be hard to also bring back JFM. Roach could be easier to retain because his market rate is lower. If the Broncos end up letting JFM walk next year, Jones could be an ideal candidate to replace him in the starting lineup. And if Denver somehow manages to bring everyone back, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will be overjoyed to retain an extremely deep rotation. Whatever happens, we'll follow all the decisions on Broncos Wire. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Broncos' remaining picks for Day 3 of the NFL draft
Broncos' remaining picks for Day 3 of the NFL draft The Denver Broncos have two picks remaining on day three of the 2025 NFL draft on Saturday. This is after an 11th-hour trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that sent three picks to the defending champs to trade back into the third round to select LSU edge rusher Sai'vion Jones. The Broncos will pick next, pending a trade, with the 134th selection in the fourth round. After that, the Broncos last projected pick will be in the sixth round, the 197th overall selection. In case you missed it, here is a brief recap of the Broncos' picks so far. Round 1, 20th overall: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas The Broncos decided to shock everyone and not draft a running back in the first round. Instead, they got the best cornerback in the draft not named Travis Hunter, a true ballhawk to compliment the Denver secondary. Round 2, 60th overall: RB RJ Harvey, UCF The big story from the Denver Broncos in round two? After trading down twice with the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions, they finally got their running back. Round 3, 74th overall: WR Pat Bryant, Illinois The Denver Broncos added to quarterback Bo Nix's arsenal by selecting a wide receiver who had 18.3 yards per catch in 2024 in the Big Ten. Round 3, 101st overall: EDGE Sai'vion Jones, LSU The Broncos surprised everyone, including yours truly, by trading back into the third round to snag this Tiger pass-rusher. Jones will compliment Nik Bonitto and the interior defensive line in putting pressure on the NFL's best in 2025.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Check out these highlights of new Broncos EDGE Sai'vion Jones
Check out these highlights of new Broncos EDGE Sai'vion Jones The Denver Broncos used the 101st overall pick to select LSU pass rusher Sai'vion Jones in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft on Friday night. Jones had a productive four years as a member of the Tigers, recording 99 total tackles (38 solo, 61 assisted), 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and five pass breakups. Jones is another piece that could factor into an already dominant Denver defense heading into year three under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. Although Jones was graded lower than he was picked (he was graded 139th out of 250 players on Draft Wire's Jeff Ridson's big board), the Broncos saw something they wanted bad enough to give up three picks to get the pass rusher from Vacherie, Louisiana. Check out some of Jones' best plays below. The Broncos' next pick is in the fourth round (134th overall).
