Troy Franklin had to wait until Day 3 to hear his name called, but the wait might ultimately prove to be worth it.

With the second pick of the fourth round (No. 102 overall), the Denver Broncos selected Franklin. The pick reunites the former Oregon receiver with Bo Nix, whom Denver drafted with the 12th overall pick on Thursday night. In 2 seasons together with the Ducks, Franklin caught 23 touchdown passes with Nix as his primary quarterback.

Last fall, Franklin set single-season Oregon records for receiving yards (1,383), receiving touchdowns (14), and 100-yard receiving games (8). His 81 receptions also broke a record, though teammate Tez Johnson passed him in the Fiesta Bowl.

He left Eugene as the program’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns (25) and tied for the all-time lead in 100-yard outings (11). His 30 consecutive games with a reception also marks the second-longest streak in program history.

Drops were a bit of a concern. During the pre-draft process, scouts and analysts questioned whether Franklin would be able to hold up against more physical corners at the NFL level. At 6-foot-2, and 176 pounds, Franklin will undoubtedly need to spend some serious time in the weight room to bulk up.

Still, he’s a big-play weapon and projects as a field-stretching receiver.

No one knows that potential more than Nix.

“He makes the receivers’ job easier,” Franklin said of Nix shortly after he was drafted, per The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel. “That’s my guy right there.”

Last season, Nix had 26 completions and 13 touchdowns on pass attempts that covered at least 20 yards. Franklin had 14 of those receptions and 7 touchdowns. Among FBS receivers with at least 100 targets, Franklin’s average depth of target of 12.8 yards ranked as the 11th-most. That was comparable to Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan (12.9) and Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. (13.1).

The former is viewed as one of the top returning wideouts in college football. The latter was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Further, Franklin had more yards, as many touchdowns, and as many 100-yard games as Harrison in 2023.

Franklin seems to be another case where a player’s pre-draft testing outshines their game tape. He’s a threat to take the top off a defense and a threat to take a quick slant to the house. Should Nix beat out Zach Wilson for the starting job, pairing him with Franklin gives Denver an early safety valve in the pass game next season.