The Denver Broncos had a confusing collection of draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft and then used their sixth-round pick to get a punter.
The Broncos lost Riley Dixon to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, so the team needed a punter. But they did sign veteran Matt Haack earlier this offseason. Haack is an experienced punter with a career average of 44.7 yards per kick. He has also played under special teams coach Darren Rizzi when both were with the Miami Dolphins.
The Broncos felt that they still needed a backup plan, choosing Florida punter Jeremy Crawshaw with the No. 216 overall pick.
Crawshaw was born in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia and has been kicking at Florida since the 2020 season. He punted nearly 200 times for the Gators and finished his playing career there with a 46.4-yard average, slightly better than Haack's career NFL average.
Still, taking a punter in the draft is usually not necessary and wasn't in this case, either. The Broncos probably could have signed Crawshaw as an undrafted free agent. Considering they only had seven picks in this draft, you would have liked to see them throw another dart at an offensive option.
Taking a punter likely means the team doesn't see Haack as a long-term option and this move actually puts him in the underdog position when it comes to this kicking battle that will take place over the course of training camp and preseason games this summer. Unless of course, the Broncos like Crawshaw that much and Haack doesn't even make it that far.
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Crawshaw could turn into a great punter, but he didn't do anything at Florida to suggest that he'll be anything better than slightly above average.
Grade: C-
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