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Adhir Ravipati heard rumblings about a kid from East Palo Alto who had taken over the California youth football scene. But it wasn’t until he attended an eighth-grade all-star game that he put a face to Troy Franklin’s name.
At Silver Creek High School in San Jose in 2017, Ravipati became a believer in Franklin, a tall and slender wide receiver who did wonders every time he touched the ball. In the second quarter of the all-star game, Franklin caught a pass over the middle before speeding past multiple defenders en route to the end zone. Later, he secured a deep pass, cut back to make a defender fall to the ground, then sprinted down the field for another score.
“I pretty much told everyone that (Franklin) was going to be an NFL player,” said Ravipati, who went on to coach Franklin for two seasons at Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, Calif.
About seven years later, inside a short-term rental in Woodside, Calif., during Franklin’s draft party, Ravipati waited for his prophecy to become reality. He had watched Franklin become one of the top wide receivers in his recruiting class by executing the same plays he made during that all-star game. He watched Franklin put together one of the best seasons for a wide receiver in Oregon history, setting the program’s single-season records in receiving yards (1,383) and touchdowns (14) in 2023.
But three rounds came and went, and Ravipati’s vision and Franklin’s lifelong dream had yet to come true.
Those inside the Airbnb were confused about how someone who recorded 100-plus yards in eight of 13 games and could run 60 yards in a blur had fallen so far.
But for the Broncos, who traded up to draft Franklin at the start of the fourth round, it may have been a blessing in disguise. Not only are they getting an explosive playmaker and big-play threat who was considered a Day 2 pick. They are getting a player who’s more motivated than ever.
“(Franklin) believes he is as good as Marvin Harrison (Jr.), Rome Odunze and all those first-round guys,” Ravipati told The Denver Post. “He’s got a chip on his shoulder (and) I think he’s going to make the most of his opportunity (in Denver).”
“I’m gonna meet Nick Saban”
Years before Ravipati bestowed NFL expectations upon Franklin as a 14-year-old, youth football coach Eric Stuart knew the Broncos’ newest pass catcher was gifted.
Stuart has known Franklin for nearly 20 years. His son and Franklin are good friends. Stuart recalled a time when he was four years old and he took him to a park across the street from his home in East Palo Alto. He watched Franklin climb the monkey bars and run circles around the other kids. “I didn’t know what (sport) he was going to do, but (Franklin) was going to be an athlete,” Stuart said. “He was stronger and more athletic than the other kids.”
In 2005, Stuart founded a youth athletic program called the East Palo Alto Greyhounds. The program started with track and field before adding football a year later. Stuart formed the team with some of his son’s friends, including Franklin, who quickly became one of his best players. When Franklin was 10, the Greyhounds competed in a Pop Warner regional championship. Franklin took over.
The game started with him scoring on a kick return. He recorded a pick-six at defensive end not long after. And on offense, he caught a pass and took it to the house. “He ran the ball down, jumped in the air over three defenders and was untouched,” Stuart said.
A portrait of Menlo-Atherton’s Troy Franklin at Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)
It didn’t take long for Franklin to stand out at Menlo-Atherton, either. He finished his freshman season with 784 all-purpose yards, including 585 receiving and 165 as a kick returner.
His speed separated him from the competition. During the fourth game of the season against Los Gatos, Franklin turned on the jets. Once the ball landed in his hands during a kickoff, he was patient in finding a seam, then exploded down the field for an 89-yard touchdown.
“He took off down the sideline (and) I turned to a couple of coaches that were next to me and said ‘Yeah, I’m going to meet (former Alabama coach) Nick Saban this offseason,’” Ravipati said.
Sure enough, Franklin — who grew into a four-star recruit and the second-best player in California from the Class of 2021, according to 247sports — received an offer from the Crimson Tide … as well as Florida, Tennessee and so many others. He committed to Oregon.
Quarterback’s best friend
Former Menlo-Atherton quarterback Matt MacLeod realized he didn’t put enough juice on his throw the moment the ball left his hands.
No matter, Franklin had him covered.
In the Bears’ second game of the 2019 season against Bellarmine College Prep, Franklin ran a post route to the middle of the field. When Franklin noticed the ball was underthrown, he slowed down to make the catch and went to work. “I missed a block for him,” former teammate and current Fresno State wideout Jalen Moss admitted. Franklin shook off three defenders before sprinting down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown. “It was a different type of speed (when) playing with Troy,” Moss said. “It was hard to block for him.”
Menlo-Atherton’s Troy Franklin (11) runs the ball against Bellarmine in the second quarter at Menlo-Atherton High School on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, in Atherton, Calif. (Jim Gensheimer/Bay Area News Group)
MacLeod, a redshirt sophomore at Miami University in Ohio, called Franklin a quarterback’s best friend. During their playing days in high school, MacLeod didn’t have to do much. A simple screen pass would result in 60 yards and a touchdown. Even when plays didn’t turn out as planned, Franklin figured out a way to make something happen.
“(That play) would’ve been a completion but not an 80-yard touchdown,” MacLeod said of his underthrown ball. “There were a couple of times where he bailed me out.”
Franklin has always taken pride in generating yards after the catch. Growing up, he looked up to wide receivers like Julio Jones and Davante Adams, a fellow East Palo Alto native, and studied what made them elite big-play threats.
For Franklin, it’s pretty simple: He has tremendous acceleration that allows him to quickly get out of his breaks and cover ground in the open field.
“The way he would separate from kids … it wasn’t even close,” MacLeod said. “He was unreal. I would throw (the ball), and he would take off.”
That skill set followed Franklin to Oregon, where he became a reliable target for Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Last season, he was targeted 114 times, catching 71.1% of the passes, according to Pro Football Focus. He accumulated 538 yards after the catch.
Most of Franklin’s success came in the center of the field, where he totaled 258 receiving yards on passes shorter than 10 yards, and 236 yards and three touchdowns on intermediate throws, according to PFF.
On Nix’s second throw against USC last November, he hit Franklin, who jetted down the field and turned two safeties around before scoring on an 84-yard touchdown.
“Those are the special players, making something (off) a five-yard pass or something like that,” Franklin told The Post. “Every time I catch the ball, I always try to get a burst in and make a move.”
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Troy Franklin (11) looks to get around Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Jay (4) in the second quarter at Autzen Stadium September 23, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
“People are gonna wonder how he fell”
From his success in high school and college to being surrounded by friends and family in Woodside Hills on draft weekend, every moment in Franklin’s football career has felt calculated.
In 2014, Franklin sat on a couch at Stuart’s home, watching the draft. As he watched players get picked, forever changing their lives, he turned to Stuart and said in a definitive tone: “Coach, I’m going to be in the draft one day.”
The only thing that wasn’t seen in his crystal ball was how the most important weekend of Franklin’s career would play out.
Ahead of the NFL scouting combine in February, draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah sounded certain Franklin would be a late first or early second-round pick.
“I think he’ll go 20s or 30s,” Jeremiah said in a conference call, as he praised Franklin for being a “big-time home run hitter.”
After Franklin wasn’t one of the seven wideouts drafted on the first night, it felt certain that he would hear his name called at on Day 2. But four more wide receivers were drafted in the second round, and Franklin was still on the board.
As the third round went by, Stuart said everyone became nervous. Franklin kept smiling. Stuart didn’t want Franklin to see his frustration, so he walked into the kitchen to watch the rest of the draft.
With the Commanders holding the last pick of the third round, they selected Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. Franklin remained on the board.
“Friday was hard,” Ravipati admitted.
“I’m like ‘Man, this is crazy. I don’t know what’s going on,’” Stuart said.
Maybe Franklin’s 40-yard dash time at the combine wasn’t fast enough. Maybe teams were worried about his lean frame. Maybe he was just a victim of a deep receiver class. Those were the thoughts as 16 wide receivers were taken ahead of Franklin before Denver saw an opportunity to acquire him on the third and final day of the draft.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton was impressed by Franklin’s quick feet and ability at the line of scrimmage. Denver’s interest grew after attending Nix’s private workout in Oregon, where he caught the ball with such fluidity. Still, the chances of landing Franklin didn’t seem likely until after the third round concluded.
At 6 a.m. Saturday, Payton sent a text message to general manager George Paton: “Let’s get this player.”
Denver traded its 121st, 136th and 207th overall selections to the Seattle Seahawks to draft Franklin with the 102nd overall pick.
“Everyone was just excited,” said Stuart, who’d watched Franklin’s football journey from the beginning.
“It didn’t matter what round he got picked in. The Broncos got the steal of the draft. That’s basically what everybody’s attitude was like.”
Denver hopes Franklin turns out to be a steal. Veteran wideout Tim Patrick will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025. Courtland Sutton has limited guaranteed money left on his deal that expires in 2026, and the Broncos could save money by cutting or trading him this summer or next offseason.
The Broncos have also lacked the speed and explosiveness in the passing game. Franklin’s yards-after-catch ability and second-year wideout Marvin Mims Jr. as a deep-ball threat could provide more opportunities for the eye-popping plays for the foreseeable future.
“In a couple of years, people are gonna wonder how he fell so far,” Ravipati said.
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