Broncos head coach Sean Payton knows something about star running backs, even as he's struggled to find a workhorse over his first two seasons in Denver.
Second-round running back RJ Harvey believes he has the talent to rectify the issue, and just a couple days into his rookie minicamp may be aiming even higher after watching tape of two Saints greats who played under Payton, Darren Sproles and Alvin Kamara.
“Definitely want to be like those guys," Harvey told reporters Saturday. "Like Darren Sproles, he went crazy with the Saints. Kamara, too. I want to be better than those guys, so I’m going to work every day, get better, just prove myself to all the vets and the coaches. I want to make an immediate impact in this league.”
Besting either or both is a lofty aim for the rookie; Sproles made three Pro Bowls and was selected to the 2010 All-Decade Team as both an offensive flex player and punt returner, while Kamara is a five-time Pro Bowler with 11,541 yards from scrimmage in a career still ongoing.
That's for years down the road, though. In 2025, Harvey's direct RB competition will be Audric Estimé and Jaleel McLaughlin, with Tyler Badie and Blake Watson rounding out the room.
Denver's running operation has finished middle of the road in each of Payton's first two years at the helm, ranking 18th in rushing yards in 2023 and 16th in 2024. Javonte Williams, now on the Cowboys, led the team both those years as the only runner to eclipse 500 yards.
The door is open for Harvey to run through and make the immediate impact he seeks, and the Broncos will be counting on him to do so to help supplement the growth of Bo Nix following the quarterback's tremendous rookie season.
At 5-foot-8, Harvey stands in the middle of the 5-6 Sproles and 5-10 Kamara, with tree trunks for legs and a 4.40 40-yard dash. He rushed for 1,416 yards and 16 touchdowns as a redshirt junior at UCF, then followed that up with 1,577 rushing yards and 22 TDs on the ground as a senior.
He was an able and willing pass catcher, corralling no fewer than 19 catches in any of his final three collegiate seasons. Denver put him to work running choice routes on Saturday, and Payton said his performance running them was "good to see."
"He’s picked up very quickly on what we’re doing. You can tell it’s real important to him," Payton said of Harvey.
Harvey, who redshirted as a quarterback in 2019 with Virginia before transferring to UCF and changing positions, said his experience as a signal-caller has benefitted his vision and in reading the defense. Beyond his rushing, that will be a positive alongside a still-evolving QB, both in the huddle and in pass-blocking situations.
And despite Harvey's size, Payton indeed sees use for him on all three downs.
"Well, he’s going to play on third down, but he could play on third down where the tight end is in protection opposite," Payton said. "There’s a lot we can do relative to really suit his strengths. ... If you watch his stature, he’s put together pretty well."
In whatever way and however frequently the Broncos end up deploying Harvey, they will be hoping he can give the rushing attack a boost it hasn't seen in several years.
That'll be his goal in the short term, with a long-term vision of outdoing a few of Payton's past Pro Bowl runners.