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Franklin has made solid progress ahead of the 2024 season, and head coach Sean Payton is pleased with where he is at in his development, Nick Kosmider of the Athletic reports.
Franklin had an underwhelming training camp and preseason after the Broncos traded up in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft to select him. The rookie wideout failed to record a single catch in his first two preseason games, but he did show flashes as a deep threat at certain points in camp. Despite Franklin's inconsistent start, Payton stated that "he has rare speed and he's very comfortable catching an in-route and then, all of a sudden, he's taking it for a big gain." Both his big-play potential and his connection with Bo Nix, his college quarterback, could afford the 21-year-old the opportunity to see some playing time as a rookie, especially if there are injuries within Denver's wide receiver corps during the season. With that said, Franklin will likely have an uphill battle for consistent usage behind Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds and Marvin Mims when all three are healthy.
