The Lead
Though they had already agreed to terms last week, almost all of the members of the Broncos' 2020 draft class made things official on Monday when they put pen to paper on their rookie contracts.
With that big step, they realized some childhood dreams.
"It felt crazy," Jerry Jeudy told DenverBroncos.com's Phil Milani. "It's a surreal moment growing up, wanting to be in this position I am in now. I worked my whole life for this, for real. I've been playing football since the seventh grade. You know, a lot of people don't really get the opportunity that I have right now. So I'm just going to take advantage of it."
Beyond that, it also signified they're officially in the NFL.
"It feels amazing — something I've been wanting to do since I was a child, a childhood dream," McTelvin Agim said. "To have it actually come to fruition is a great feeling right now. … At first, you're in there, but until you actually put pen to paper it's not official, but now it's actually official. And now I can actually say I'm an NFL player."
Still, as big a moment as this is for these young men, what's even bigger is what comes next.
"Seeing all these greats around the room and being able to be one of them — having a chance to be one of them — it's, like, you're really in it now," Michael Ojemudia said. "The pressure's on. So I'm excited."
Below the Fold
One of those rookies, Lloyd Cushenberry III, recently shared his perspective on his opportunity, particularly to earn a starting role at center. "I know I am going to have to put in the work," Cushenberry told Denver7’s Troy Renck. "It's going to be a challenge for me to win the job. First off, I want to come in and earn the respect of my teammates not by what I say, but how I carry myself and how I practice day in and day out. I want to come in and earn their respect, show that I can do it and have the mental capacity to be a center at this level."
For a better understanding of Drew Lock's potential and what Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur will bring to the Broncos, 104.3 The Fan spoke with former Ravens head coach Brian Billick, who is now an NFL Network analyst. "It didn't look like the game was too big for them [Lock and Giants QB Daniel Jones], and that's a good thing. So, there is going to be that improvement. Certainly, there's a certain level of athleticism. It really comes down to the growth in his efficiency from the pocket, and I'm sure that's what Pat Shurmur will do."
