Blue White Illustrated

and has big-play ability. A guy that, as Vic [Fangio, Denver's head coach] would say, scares the heck out of defenses. Plus, he's got the ability to run routes. He's quick, he's tough. And again, you go back and say he's a great returner. We'll have to see how much he does return, but he's got that ability. He's a tough guy for his size, and so he's a guy who can really, really, really, really run. That's why we're excited about him." FRANKLIN SAYS "K.J. is not only going to be a perfect fit for the Broncos be- cause of his explosive playmaking abili- ties, but also his infectious personality. Our coaches and players always wanted to be around him because he made prac- tice, team meetings and the locker room fun, while also being one of the most prepared players in our program. On the field, he's an electric, tough difference- maker. The more times he touched the football, the better it was for our of- fense. We are so happy for K.J. and are excited to see him at the next level." ANALYSIS The Broncos think they've found their quarterback of the future in Drew Lock, a second-round pick in last year's draft who came on strong as a rookie, leading the team to four wins in five starts after recovering from a pre- season thumb injury. Their priority during the 2020 draft was to find Lock some targets, hence the decision to se- lect Biletnikoff Award winner Jerry Jeudy of Alabama in the first round and Hamler in the second. The two new- comers will join Pro Bowl wideout Courtland Sutton and second-year tight end Noah Fant in what should be a for- midable pass-catching corps. "We had to get some speed and we had to get some talent on that offensive side and some explosiveness on that offensive side," Elway said. "That's why we de- cided to go that way." The Broncos also chose tight end Al- bert Okwuegbunam of Missouri in the fourth round and wideout Tyrie Cleve- land of Florida in the seventh, under- scoring their desire to upgrade the aerial attack after finishing 28th in the league in passing offense last season at 194.7 yards per game. JOHN REID CB | 5-10 | 187 TEAM Houston Texans ROUND/PICK 4th/141st TEAM SAYS Head coach Bill O'Brien: "I do think that he can play on the inside. I think he's got good quickness, he's got good toughness. I've known John for a while. When I was at Penn State, he was a sophomore in high school and came to our camp. I think we offered him a scholarship right there. Really smart guy, comes from a great family. But yeah, I think he can do both. I think he can play on the inside and I also think that he'll help us on special teams. That was another guy who we felt really good about who we had targeted and we were really hoping would be there, and he was there." FRANKLIN SAYS "We are excited for John to continue his career with the Houston Texans. He played a lot of foot- ball for us, and his experience will be valuable at the next level. There's no better student of the game in our pro- gram. He devours film and took a great amount of pride in his preparation, which will help him be a contributor for the Texans. The way he has bounced back from adversity is a great example of his toughness and perseverance. He maximized his time as a Penn State stu- dent-athlete, earning his degree in data sciences and completing internships with Intel and Blizzard Entertainment." ANALYSIS When O'Brien left Penn State to take over the Texans in January 2014, some people wondered whether he would tap into the talent pool he had helped develop with the Nittany Lions. That didn't happen. In fact, when Houston chose Reid in the fourth round, it was the first time in the franchise's 19-year history that it had selected a Penn State player. O'Brien and Reid missed each other by a couple of years, as the young cornerback made his debut with the Nittany Lions in 2015. But he knew O'Brien by reputation, just from conversations with older teammates who had played on the 2012 and '13 teams. "I just heard all of the respect that the players had for him," Reid said. "There were still a lot of players there who had been coached by him when I came in as a freshman. All they ever spoke about was just the respect that he had for all of the players and how much they liked him as a coach." Reid went on to finish 11th in school history with 37 passes defended, includ- ing seven interceptions. Now he'll have a Six Nittany Lions sign free agent deals In the days that followed the conclusion of this year's dra;, six former Penn State players signed free agent contracts with NFL teams. The players who signed were o:ensive guard Steven Gon- zalez (Arizona Cardinals), safety Garrett Taylor (Bu:alo Bills), line- backer Jan Johnson (Houston Tex- ans), tight end Nick Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders), punter Blake Gillikin (New Orleans Saints) and wide receiver Dan Chisena (Min- nesota Vikings). In addition, when training camp opens, three players with Penn State ties will also be looking to launch pro careers, two of them with the Saints. Former quarter- back Tommy Stevens was dra;ed in the seventh round by New Or- leans, while receiver Juwan John- son signed a free agent contract with that same team. Stevens played his 9nal college season at Mississippi State, while Johnson 9nished at Oregon. Both were members of Penn State's 2015 re- cruiting class. A third former Penn Stater, re- ceiver Brandon Polk, signed a free agent deal with the Los Angeles Rams. He finished his college ca- reer at James Madison last sea- son. –M.H.

• Cover