RJ Harvey found himself in Sean Payton’s office on Friday, his first full day at the Broncos facility as a pro since being drafted last month.
The rookie running back listened and watched as his new head coach outlined a vision for his future by showing him film from the past.
The players on the screen: Former New Orleans running backs Alvin Kamara and Darren Sproles.
The topic: choice routes.
Each former Saints back tormented linebackers, safeties and others throughout their careers. They’d be matched up one-on-one in the middle of the field, making a cut either inside or out (the choice) to get open, and doing major damage.
Payton on Saturday said the first day of his rookie minicamp Friday included installing the choice route. Saturday, it was the wheel route.
Rookie minicamp is for basics — Payton said Saturday, “today’s install, we put in really one route” for the running backs — but also for first impressions.
This much is clear: Harvey’s intent on not waiting around to make his.
When he watched Kamara and Sproles with Payton, Harvey saw players he wants to emulate and ultimately surpass.
“Definitely want to be like those guys,” Harvey told reporters. “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 to get better and prove myself to all the vets and the coaches.
“I want to make an immediate impact in this league.”
There’s a long way between sunny Saturdays in May and the kind of December Sundays when Harvey’s rookie year impact will ultimately be measured. There’s a long distance between making a mark in your debut season and forging a career like Sproles (14 years) or Kamara (eight and counting).
On the second day of Broncos rookie minicamp — the lone day open to reporters — however, Harvey looked the part.
Caveats always apply this time of year. No pads. No veterans. Just the very first days on the field.
Still, Harvey is a powerful runner whose packed muscle onto his lower half, deploys a wicked jump cut and claims he has good vision because he spent his entire high school career and first collegiate season at Virginia playing quarterback.
On Saturday, he also showed good hands in the receiving game. He didn’t drop a pass and hauled in several wheel routes.
“I ran a lot of wheel routes at UCF, so I’m used to that,” he said flatly. “Definitely there’s a lot to improve on. Pass protection and working my routes. We didn’t run a lot of routes (overall) at UCF, so it’s something to get better at and I’m going to get better at it.”
Payton said he tries not to get ahead of himself during weekends like this one.
Every young player has a lot of development ahead. This Broncos draft class is perhaps particularly interesting in that department, given the projection involved with Harvey, first-round pick Jahdae Barron’s versatility, and the light collegiate snap counts for OLB Que Robinson and TE Caleb Lohner.
Payton, though, said it’s also important to remember what this weekend encompasses for players like Harvey.
“We really start with the fundamentals,” Payton said. “The growth comes and you feel it. Sometimes it comes faster than you expect, sometimes maybe slower. He’s someone that, look, he’s picked up very quickly what we’re doing. You can tell it’s something that’s really important to him. But this is their first exposure to the training room, the weight room, the schedule, the nutrition, the practice. There’s a lot more than, ‘Hey, we’re going to run these plays.’
“He’s looked good, though.”
Here are some other observations from Saturday’s practice:
• The Broncos believe Barron can play any number of positions and he put that versatility on display Saturday. Payton said part of settings like minicamp are to see players in different positions.
“We’ve moving guys around,” he said. “We’re not just isolating them at one spot.”
Barron was involved in one of the most competitive plays of the day, a Pat Bryant grab in traffic. The first-round corner also volunteered that he’d been juked by Harvey. As Harvey was speaking to reporters in the locker room, Barron grabbed his phone and jumped into the scrum. He broke in to ask his own question: “Why did you juke Jahdae at practice with that move today? Why did you do that?”
Harvey laughed and eventually responded: “I had to get the first round in, man”
There’s plenty to like about Barron’s game, though. Payton said he already plays like somebody with much more experience.
“If you’re watching closely, some people transition and stop very quickly. He has really quick twitch,” Payton said. “I’d say he’s sticky in coverage. … I worry sometimes with corners that, if you’re defending every route, you’re defending no route. He’s really savvvy. (If it’s) a tight split, he eliminates 80% of what could be run.
“You feel a veteran player.”
• The Broncos have an intriguing PFA piece in North Carolina Central product Joaquin Davis, a receiver who showed every inch of his 6-foot-4 frame and 40-plus-inch vertical on a leaping grab over the middle during one period of minicamp Saturday. Davis’ agent Joseph Flanagan told The Post that Broncos scout Nick Schiralli, who’d primarily led on pinpointing Davis, identified him to Flanagan as someone who could make an “immediate impact” on special teams. Payton, too, referenced special-teams when discussing Davis on Saturday.
Fellow receiver Courtney Jackson, who operated out of the slot at Arkansas State, and Toledo product Jerjuan Newton also stood out in crisp route-running Saturday. Payton was clear before the draft that Denver would add bodies in its receiver room before training camp, and all profile to have a shot to crack the 53-man roster.
• Payton told reporters during his presser Saturday that there were a “couple of players” at minicamp who staff would discuss bringing to training camp. He didn’t name names, but here’s one guess — South Dakota running back Travis Theis. The 215-pound Theis displayed intriguing agility on a number of plays out of the backfield Saturday, despite lacking true top-end burners, and has plenty of versatility after catching 33 balls last season for FCS program South Dakota.
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