ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Coach Sean Payton and the rest of the Denver Broncos' decision-makers entered last month's NFL draft wanting to add a wide receiver to their offense. But not just any wide receiver.
As Payton deconstructed what the Broncos' offense did last season, he desired a particular set of skills to add to his depth chart. He was looking closely at Illinois receiver Pat Bryant, who was ultimately Denver's pick at No. 74 in Round 3 and enters a WR room that has added four draft picks in the past three years.
"They know all my attributes. They know what I can do," said Bryant. "So, my main focus is to just get to Denver, do my job and help the team win."
Bryant was exactly what the Broncos wanted: a physical 6-foot-2, 204-pounder who can win in contested-catch situations. And taking Bryant over smaller, faster receivers revealed that the Broncos -- and specifically Payton -- were far more bullish on the receivers the team already had than many believed.
It was an indication that the team thinks third-year receiver Marvin Mims Jr. -- an All-Pro returner the past two seasons who has flashed big-play potential when given snaps on offense -- and second-year man Troy Franklin can provide the speed element of the offense. And it showed Denver sees Mims and Franklin as quality complements to physical and savvy No. 1 receiver Courtland Sutton.
Bryant, meanwhile, was drafted to acquire more physicality as defenses try to restrict the midrange routes that quarterback Bo Nix had so much success with during his rookie season. That was the reason Payton gave for taking Bryant a round or two higher than many expected. Bryant ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the combine -- tied for second slowest among the 39 receivers who ran in Indianapolis -- which likely contributed to some teams pushing him down their boards.
But he has the frame Payton has repeatedly said he likes in receivers. The Broncos' coach also said that Bryant consistently created separation on tape and won matchups at the line of scrimmage.
"We always talk about, who does he remind [you of]?" Payton said. "We try to find comps. There were so many things about his game that reminded me of [former Saints wide receiver] Mike Thomas. With respect to Mike, who became ... I mean, holy cow.
"You don't ever want to put pressure on a rookie like that; we're just talking about traits. But [Bryant is] really explosive off the line of scrimmage, he's very competitive, very tough."
Bryant averaged 18.2 yards per catch last season (54 receptions for 984 yards) and tied an Illinois record with 10 touchdown receptions. And Payton saw him make plays at key moments despite getting heavy attention from opposing defenses -- often on the boundary or in a crowd.
"His size and his hands are outstanding. He competes," Payton said. "He was just a player that excelled in crunch time. I think he had a walk-off, a couple of these big plays."
The Broncos got a quick glimpse of what Bryant could provide during the team's rookie minicamp earlier this month, when he snagged a pass over cornerback Jahdae Barron, the Broncos' first-round pick.
"Those are the catches that I have to make to be successful at this level," Bryant said.
While some receivers create space with speed or short-area quickness, scouts surveyed before the draft said Bryant will have to win with precision on routes and initial burst at the line of scrimmage, as most NFL cornerbacks will have more straight-line speed.
An AFC scout who recommended Bryant as a Day 2 pick to his team said, "At the Senior Bowl, you saw him win with his routes against those DBs over and over again. He would immediately win at the line [of scrimmage], but sometimes the DBs would sort of run him down as the play went on. But I think if he's really dialed in on his routes, he makes some space, but he's got to be on the details."
Payton also said that Broncos defensive passing game coordinator/assistant head coach Jim Leonhard -- who spent the 2023 season as senior football analyst at Illinois -- testified to Bryant's work habits and approach to the game, which goes beyond making contested catches.
"My motto was always, 'You block, you get the rock,'" Bryant said. "So, my main focus was just using my physicality both in the pass game as well as the run game, just helping my running backs get to the end zone.
"At Illinois, I earned my way onto the field being that blocking guy and physical guy. Kind of add that to the catching game and really all aspects of my game."