With the 2009 NFL Draft just two days away, many of the current Broncos are thinking back to the experiences they had when they were the prospects heading into this weekend.
We asked players in the locker room what they remember most from the experience, and here is what they had to say.
“Hearing my name called. You’re sitting there anxious, nervous the whole time, then you finally get a phone call. You’ve got your friends calling you, so you never really know, but then when you see that number that you don’t recognize, that out of state number, that was the best feeling in the world. I just remember hugging my mother — she was in tears. So that was probably the best memory for me.”
-Eddie Royal, drafted in 2008
“I was back home. I was invited to go to New York but I stayed back home with my family — the whole community was there. Boss did the same. I don’t know why guys like going to New York, I’d rather be around my people. So it was great for me.”
-Champ Bailey, drafted in 1999
“I was actually surprised that the Broncos drafted me. During the whole process you usually visit teams, meet or talk to them at the Combine — Denver didn’t speak to me one time. My best friend, (Jonathan) Vilma, he got picked at 12. New Orleans called me and they said, ‘We’ve got the 18th pick and we’re going to draft you.’ Blah, blah, blah, this and that. I looked at the board with my agent, my mom and my family, and we figured no other teams need a linebacker and every team’s going to go this way. I was actually on the phone with New Orleans and Denver traded down to 17 and picked me up.”
-D.J. Williams, drafted in 2004
“My draft weekend was horrible. I mean horrible. I thought I was going to be up here, and I ended up way down here at the bottom. Nah, but for real it was stressful. Trying to see where you’re going to go, and once you get there, no matter what round it is, you’re just happy to be there. Once everything is over with then you just try to gel with the team and get ready to play.”
-Marcus Thomas (with a smile), drafted in 2007
“Just being with my family, sitting in the house with a lot of my close friends watching it on TV — real anxious. (When I got drafted) it was great. Mom was jumping up and down, my dad was excited, and right after they called they showed it on the TV. I got a lot of phone calls and text messages of congratulations, so it was a good time.”
-Carlton Powell, drafted in 2008
“I had a lot of mixed feelings — personally I felt I should’ve been higher. Everyone wants to be a higher pick. But the bottom line is I was drafted, and that’s a very rare deal for people. I’m blessed. I was very fortunate and I’m just thankful. I just want to be able to continue this ride.”
-Elvis Dumervil, drafted in 2006
“I guess just getting the call from Coach Shanahan. It was a real stressful time. I was expecting a lot better than what I got, but once I got that call and knew I was going to be in the NFL, plus I think a Hall-of-Fame coach calling you, that’s a pretty big deal.”
-Peyton Hillis, drafted in 2008
“I didn’t get drafted, I was a free agent. It was crazy — I got a call from Cleveland, actually, telling me they were going to pick me fifth round, then they go pick another D-tackle. … (As a free agent) you’ve got teams calling you, so you can compare which one you want to go with and choose. … But it’s all good — I’m here, and I’m here for a reason.”
-J’Vonne Parker, undrafted free agent in 2005
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: 2009 NFL Draft
Did you guys hear that the Chiefs traded TE Gonzalez to the Atlanta Falcons
for a 2010 pick
Ah yes the good ‘ol days!!!
That would have to be one of the most nervous moments an NFL hopeful could go through and then to get a call from someone like Shanny… I’d think it was some kind of joke. Those are some good stories, thanks for sharing!
With faith…
GO BRONCOS in ’09!!!!
Oh and yeah I read that earlier today Eddie. All I can say is its about flippin’ time that guy gets traded to a better team that suits him best. He’s the only guy on that team that’s been there for what the past 10 years… everyone has come and gone like the wind including the coaches & GM!! That guy is pure raw talent and so down to earth. My mom actually got to meet him once and I’ve never heard one negative thing about him. I could’ve cared less that she met a Chiefs player but he is quite something… I wish him the best.
I hope he gets at least one successful season by being on a new team. He deserves that much. He’s too good to have stuck with the Chiefs for as long as he did… but I admire him for staying loyal to that team for the many years he did. I remember my 5th grade teacher just being madly in love with this guy and he’s been there ever since. Just amazed me he stuck with a team that as a team held him back. Whatever he did – gain yards, score a TD… it all got run over by their insanely crappy defense. Wow, didn’t expect to say talk this much about an ex-Chief but he’s great at his job and he’s one heck of a guy off the field.
With faith…
GO BRONCOS in ’09!!!!
Chiefs just traded away their only threat against us, hopefully now we can win those games against the Chiefs.
i think tony will do great in atlanta. with matt ryan thowin the ball and defenders havin to pay attention to roddy white and the runnin game. i can see now with his talent and that offense he will have a great year.
I cant wait till Sunday morning 8am!!! Thats NZ time… It will be very nervous times for all concerned….
As for Gonzo, not bothered.
Go BRONCOS!!!
BroncoAussie i can see what you mean but if you look at the games last year, Larry Johnson ran all over us, so Tony G wasnt the only threat, but you never know, i’m sure Bowe will do well with Cassel and if our Defense can stop the run Larry shouldnt be a problem.
Good thing about Larry Johnson is he may also be traded, cross fingers. I just thought it funny that most of the highlights I see of Tony G last year is when he scored on Denver. Most notably the TD he scored over Boss Bailey.
Eddie Royal and Peyton Hillis will each be key components of our future championship teams. The Broncos just have too many weapons for the majority of NFL tams to contend with, so as we improve our defense, the San Diego Super Sparklers will have hell to pay (as will everyone else) when they see the Broncos on their schedule.
http://www.draftcountdown.com/sub/Mock-Draft-A.php
ha i like this guys draft except its to broad… i like it more for the fact we get raji and at 18 if rey is there i would rather see him takin than ayers… and i dont see how people think curry is a safe pick? he is not a play maker and in the nfl that is what you need he is nothing special if he did fall i would still hope that we dont pick him up. i cannot wait for this draft to go down…
I like what Peyton Hillis had to say. Classy. He is a player.
Aren’t they all players? As John Madden once said, “A great football player is a football player who plays great football!” LOL
At least we won’t have to worry about Gonzalez this year. Even though he is getting older he still is a player you need to take into acount as a huge threat.
I’m feeling the chills of the draft crawling up my spine. I’m so nervous, excited, worried, scared, happy, and so ready to dominate this season.
I told you all they wanted Sanchez! Everyone who know me personally AT Broncos.com and Broncos Country told me I should loose my Internship with Espn Scouts Inc.. Who has the last laugh now? WE(as in the Broncos) want to move up with either Jacksonville or KC. The 12th and maybe a 3rd or 4th round pick will be the bargining chip. No apologize needed Mc Shay did it for ya’ll! NO WHO THE MAN CONNECTED IS! ON another note did anyone see The Homecomming of John Elway? Man brong back memories!
Oh yeah it was on ESPN. lol
Two words Greatness007…. Smoke Screen
Better be a smoke screen, if we trade up to get Sanchez then the downgrade from Cutler is now completed. Instead of getting some solid guys on D, it would be like saying, “hey, lets ditch our franchise guy for an unproven guy who 2 months ago was questionable if he would be drafted in the first round”
I do not think the Broncos will move up for Sanchez. The only reason they worked him out was if he happens to fall to 12. I do not see that happening now. There are too many teams interested in Sanchez that will move up (ie Jets, Washington). Denver will not move up, if they do I think it would be stupid.
Roll with Orton and Simms this year and pick up a late round quarter back prospect this year or pick up a first round quarter back next year.
We need serious help on D. The first 3 picks should all be D (unless there is an offensive player that would be a steal).
I just don’t get it, there was very little talk about Sanchez during the season and some questioned if he would be any good next year at USC. Now they are talking about getting rid of number one picks over another 16 game wonder, not to mention the outlay of upfront money. Fix the damn defense you two knuckle heads!
kay so heres my thoughts on the whole sanchez thing. i like the guy i think hes a great athlete and would be a great asset to the team. wut i dnt like is the notion of the broncos moving up to snag him wen we could use those picks on defense or even offense. if the broncos trade up to get sanchez i wont be mad at all. itd be a good move i believe i would jus prefer them not to. if there gonna trade draft picks i think they should draft a guy like jackson or maualuga or my fav. right now aaron maybin at 12 nd trade the 18 and maybe a third or forth for brady quinn which is equal value based on when he was drafted nd then cleveland could draft a guy like sanchez nd have another 1 round pick. i think its a smarter move for the broncs. but very unlikely. but well see eh? 1 day away
47rocksurworld- I agree- Sanchez was not a hot commodity until the last couple of weeks. That shows you the quality of this years QB draft class.
“Smoke Screen”- The Broncos are doing the old Belecek/New England misdirection and trying to keep other teams guessing.
Just because the Broncos worked out Sanchez does not mean they are going to trade up for him. There have been a lot of teams that have worked him out. I beleive the Colts worked out Sanchez, I cannot imagine the Colts trading up for him.
Draft defense!!! Pick up a QB in late rounds or wait until next year whent he QB class will be a lot better.
Don’t draft mark sanchez unless he falls to 12. if you do trade up, get someone defensive, like brian orakpo, bj raji or aaron curry. Aaron Maybin or even tyson jackson at 12 are probably there. Orakpo may slip there as well. 18 could be, dare i say it, a RB. 16,17,18 are all prime picks for Beanie wells or knowshon moreno. i would prefer clay matthews or james laurinitis. i would wait til fifth or sixth round to pick a rb, if at all. Devin moore is a late seventh rounder at best, and could be available via CFA. He is a great runner between the tackles and has some breakaway speed.
So with the draft coming up tomorrow who witch two lucky players will go to Denver in the first round and do you think we should trade up to the 2nd or the third to get Mark Sanchez or work on our defense
theres a situation on NFL.com where they have T. Jackson going to KC and Curry falling all the way to 12.. HIGHLY unlikely but wow would that be great
The reason it’s all comming out now none and I mean none of the NFL coaches had a chance to see his college tape! They were too busy in freeagency.
Bronco55 It’s not a smoke screen! You don’t take a kid OUT TO DINNER THEN TO A LAKERS GAME IN VIP SEATS to make a smokescreen! Stop taking using M. Smith word! lol K.C. might take T. Jackson thats why this is going on for the Broncos. If we move its gonna be with them cuz K.c want Jackson but not at the 3rd pick. Mc d. is mad that The Sanchez rumor got out thats why he’s giving up so much info on what and who else the Broncos are looking at. Now I would not to trade 2 #1′s for him cuz since the TE trade fell threw that they wanted for us(that I broke I might add) thats why he’s say no no one person in this draft is worth 2 #1′s and he’s right. When he falls to 12 WATCH WHAT HAPPENS!
The Broncos didnt ditch Cutler he did not want to COME BACK! All ya’ll Culter fans need to know he didn’t want to come back. If you dont wnt to talk to the coach fine I fill that! When the OWNER calls and you put your phone oon ignore that what do we do just hope he wont sit out? He will get over it? Which he still never did and ya’ll still never can!
LET MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!
I didn’t understand a thing you just said. Typing in complete sentences would help your cause, my friend.
My bad I’m still on my job! So let me try this again!
The Broncos didnt ditch Cutler he did not want to COME BACK! All ya’ll Culter fans need to know he didn’t want to come back. If you dont want to talk to the coach fine I fill that! When the OWNER calls and you put your phone on ignore that. What do we do just hope he wont sit out? He will get over it? Which he still never did and ya’ll still never can!
LET MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!
But I do like the QB”S from A&M and Michican State. If and that’s a big IF SAnchez falls they will pick him!
Jacksonville are in talks with the Broncos about moving up! Stay tuned!
Broncos still in talks with Jacksonville. A reporter out of Cleveland told me the Browns told the Broncos, Quinn is not in any trade talks. Don’t know how true that is ,but he is a very reliable source!
I don’t think they’re going to move up to get Sanchez. If he’s still there @ 12 they might pick him but I doubt it. I’m convinced they will concentrate on defense with 12 and 18.
Go Broncos!!!!!!!!!!
It might not happen. Daniel(Washington Redskin Owner) looking like he might pull a Mike Dicka and trade multiple picks!
Alright, everyone, seriosuly we should not trade up for Sanchez. And they better not. Look, Orton and Simms are decent guys. They’re no Jay Cutler, Elway, they probobly are’nt even a Sanchez (well we don’t realy know how he’ll do in the NFL yet so…we’ll see). But they are solid enough to lead our team this year to the playoffs, a goal that needs to be reached. We need defense and thats it, plain and simple. We all know it. So lets use our 2 picks on defense, bulk it up. Next year we’ll have 2 first round picks again, in a draft that has guys like Bradford and Tewbow. Focus defense this year, we need it built. On a scale of 1-10, our offense i believe is around a “8.5″. It would have been a 9, 9.5, but the loss of Cutler makes a difference. Defense, even with the off-season additions would be around “6″, “6.5″. Get our D up to even with our offense. Thats how teams win super-bowls. I think if we got guys like BJ(12th) and Rey(18th)-my personal hope this draft-our D would immidietly become a more productive unit. Thus, get Defense the first 2 rounds. Please.
Next year?
“And the Broncos choose Sam Bradford from Oklamhoma with their first pick of the NFL Draft”
-Sounds pretty fantastic to me!
We won’t draft Ray. We already have our 2 starting inside LB. So where would you put Ray. outside were he never played? Raji will be gone to Cleveland. They been wanting him all a long. Now the kid from Tenn. the DE he would be a great fit.
Also Dont be surprise if we move back from the 18 with the Pats for extra picks.
where is the draft day comments by Jay Cutler… Oh yeah that’s right. CRY BABY!!
I am really excited about today’s draft. Defense and maybe Sanchez if he slips a bit.
I’m in shock! I fell like Kevin Garrnet, I see my team don’t bad. Can’t do anything about it. I fill like im on the sideline just dropping F bombs. Pat Bowlen is behind all of this taking him. Pat wants to take a hands on approach this year. Pat he’s not TD. You can’t even ever and I mean ever spin it that way!
ya i got closed out too. i guess it shut down for everyone. damn that kinda sucks. they should not do that to their fans. the pick was bad and i hope we go D at 18 like we need to.
tampa bay got ahead of us. but i still think we can get rey.
is there somewhere else we’re continuing the live first round blog? or is this it?
I’m in shock! I fell like Kevin Garrnet, I see my team doing bad. That’s what I meant to type.
ok ok I’m filling a little better.
oh boy. ayers is a good pick i guess but i woulda liked to see maualuga
i wonder if we’re thinking lauranitis in the 2nd and moore in the third. that would be good. prob wont happen cuz they wont be there but it sounds great anyway
LOL
Ayers is good, I feel the same way Louisiana
There putting DJ and Andre ant inside LB. I told ya’ll they wont draft REy . Where would he play outside were he nevr played?
My grade for the first round is a C-.. When Maualuga slipped past the Chargers i was jumping, good thing i stopped eating my pizza when 18 was anounced.. i would have choked