ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --Before he was drafted into the NFL, Tavarres King already had some connections in the league.
Three of his Georgia teammates -- fellow receivers A.J. Green and Mohamed Massaquoi and now fellow Bronco Knowshon Moreno -- gave him advice on what it takes to succeed at the professional level.
"The speed of the game, the intensity of it -- everybody is fast," King said of the pointers he received. "Just to stay focused and relax because it is still football."
He stayed in touch with Green and Massaquoi as he finished up his career with the Bulldogs, and having a familiar face in Moreno has helped his transition to his new team.
"That's something that me and my family were pretty happy about that Knowshon was out here – somebody I can talk to," King said. "We were buddies in college and are still friends today."
King said Moreno told him how "awesome" it is to play in Denver, and he's especially excited to be able to learn from the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart.
"I just want to contribute any way I can to this team," he said. "I have a tremendous opportunity to learn under some of the greatest minds in the game in Peyton Manning and Wes Welker, who is a great route-runner, Eric Decker, 'D.T.' (Demaryius Thomas) – those guys are phenomenal. I have an opportunity to learn under them and perfect my game from there."
The rookie hopes to use his speed to spread the field -- "It's something that I do pretty well," he said -- and try to make an impression as quickly as possible when he starts catching passes from quarterback Peyton Manning.
"It's crazy. It is insane. I used to play with that guy on Madden," King smiled. "It's honestly a dream come true."
