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Building more muscle Broncos draft speed, add another Georgia RB
Posted: Sunday April 18, 1999 08:03 PM
DENVER (AP) -- Look out, NFL. The Denver Broncos, whose sixth-round selection of an obscure running back from Georgia four years ago turned out to be a stroke of genius, have drafted another Georgia runner in the late rounds. And the Broncos say they see the same qualities in Olandis Gary as they saw in Terrell Davis, whose 2,008-yard performance last season earned him the league's MVP award. Denver opened the second day of the draft Sunday by taking Gary with the last selection in the fourth round. Over the two-day lottery, the Broncos made a total of 12 picks, increasing their cache by one after trading one of their fifth-round picks to Washington for sixth- and seventh-round choices. Their remaining choices on Sunday were:
For Denver, it was not a particularly sexy draft, but it was solid and, in the view of coach Mike Shanahan, gave the two-time defending Super Bowl champions just what they needed. "We were a good football team coming in," Shanahan said. "We got a lot more depth, we got a lot more team speed. We'll be a lot more competitive in training camp because of the addition of these players. So it's a win-win situation for us. "Overall, I feel like it was an excellent draft." So good, in fact, that for the first time in memory, the Broncos won't tender free-agent contracts to any undrafted prospects. They have filled all their needs and, in addition, will be near the salary cap limit because of the high number of draft picks. As usual, Shanahan emphasized character in the draft. "If I'm not mistaken, six or seven of our picks were captains of their team," he said. "Quality character goes a long way. I think it's one of the reasons we've been able to win two Super Bowls back-to-back -- because of the character of our team, along with the talent, obviously." Gary had modest statistics at Georgia, just as Davis did. The 5-foot-11, 216-pounder carried 143 times for 698 yards and 10 touchdowns last fall, but he does more than just carry the ball. "We really liked him," Shanahan said. "We thought he was a complete back, and we think he has a chance to come in and compete right away. We weren't looking for a running back, but he had some intangibles and played very much like Terrell did when he was in college, and that's why we went in that direction. "We look for certain qualities in a running back -- a guy who can make people miss, can take some punishment, can catch the ball and block. We look at how he handles himself, how he plays the game. We were excited he was available." Gary, who spoke to the media on a conference call, said he drew inspiration from a recent Davis autobiography. "Last season I was reading his book and I found out how he never gave up on his hopes and his dreams," Gary said. "I think that really propelled me in the last half of the season. "Any time a guy can come out of a university without a big name and do the things he's done, it's terrific. He's someone for all of us to model ourselves on, especially guys who were not getting the playing time they felt they deserved." Gary described himself as a complete back "who can run well between the tackles but also break the big one. I can catch the ball, I can block, I can play on special teams." The Broncos' selections of Reagor and Bowens should upgrade their pass rush, while the choices of three wide receivers and two tight ends present some intriguing options in the passing game.
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