After selecting a 6-foot-7 quarterback, the Broncos went to the other end of the spectrum with their next pick, grabbing 5-foot-10 running back Ronnie Hillman.
Hillman said he hopes to come in and use his diverse skill set to carve a niche on the team.
“I’m just going to come in and try to win. That’s all I can do,” Hillman said. “I’m just bringing my versatility to the team and be able to create more offense and come in and learn from the vets.”
Hillman, who was once coached by Snoop Dogg as a youth football player, left San Diego State after his redshirt sophomore season as he works towards achieving his lifelong dream.
“I’m just excited. It’s been my dream to play in the NFL for a while,” Hillman said. “I’m just thankful.”
-Kenny Legan
Tags: 2012 NFL Draft, Ronnie Hillman
sndvl how has the contest turned out so far?
Alskanbronco06 and B F E are tied with 7 points
Louisianabroncofan and DenverCB have 4 points
Shout out to Orange_Crusher who had Hillman on his board (with the 4th pick)
love hillman (but then again, loved Moreno when we got him.. so tough to call it with RBs these days). but is it just me, or do you guys notice a bit of an awkward hitch in Brock’s delivery? tebow-esque? and on tape, it certainly doesn’t look like the ball is rocketing out of there to the targets. but then again, he does have tons of size, smarts and athleticism, so it turn out ok – especially learning from Peyton, that can’t hurt!
B F E lol where you at???
sndvl thanks! and thanks again for doing this!!
I don’t really get the Wolfe pick when Reyes and worthy worth both still on the board. I guess they figured Wolfe has a higher floor, but his scouting report doesn’t scream elite.
Hate the Osweiler pick. Just a wasted pick imo.
Only pick so far that seems exciting is the hill pick. He looks like he could be a real home run hitter. Very young too, so if he pans out, he should be an answer at RB for a LONG time.
Because Miller isn’t all that good. I didn’t think he was anyways. My thing is, I really wanted Doug Martin but now I find out that we got one of the best running backs in this draft! Hillman reminds me of CJ and Faulk.
I will say one thing. He’ll be better than Sproles!
Tomorrow out of both of our 4th round picks I want two of these players:
Crick
Winn
Boykin
Nick Toon
Derek Carrier (Whom we’re very interested in)(Here is the article regarding him and the broncos http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/43118/raiders-broncos-look-at-small-school-wr)
I don;t see why they didnt take Worthy or Reyes, then draft Wolfe in the 3rd or the 4th (where he was graded).
I am just disappointed, seriously Wolfe first? He would have been there in the late 3rd or early 4th. Just rediculous and Hillman? Seriously in the 3rd? So disappointed in the Johns.
Shout back at ya Bother Sndvl!!!!
Man! I love you guys!!!
ILMSDB!
On paper, this has been an incredibly disappointing and lackluster draft so far. I mean, maybe all these guys play lights out this year and beyond, but as of right now, I have to give our draft a D- so far.
Wolfe actually had risen to the 2nd round. He was a the best DT available. Worthy and Still have a hard time 1v1 and arnt as good at getting inside pressure as they are run stopping. Reyes and Wolfe are more complete DTs able to consistently stop the run and get a lot of inside pressure. and even get the QB. Wolfe though played better competition than Reyes did and was even more consistent then Reyes.
Wolfe was nothing but consistent in his college career.
Brock gives us our future QB.
Hillman is like Faulk im glad we got him when we did! If he ends up half the back Faulk was he will still be great!
hey everyone havent posted anything here in a very long time, just wanted to comment on the draft…
From what everyones saying and what i hear all 3 of our picks are very solid for where our picks were taken at, BUT…
Through the first 3 rounds we have 3 players, 2 second rounders and 1 3rd rounder. Wouldnt it be more logical to keep our 1st round draft pick and draft a better player at 25 rather than waiting to 36, and still having 3 picks in the first 3 rounds?
How can Hillman remind anyone of Faulk… He is 20 lbs lighter and will not truck anybody and lacks the strength to break tackles. Give me a break… Almost worst pick of the draft.
Hillman…… 5′ 9″200 LBS OF BRONCO BEAST!!!!!!!!!!
ILMSDBHILLMAN!!!!!!
i get that the broncos didnt like whoever was left at #25, but you get the best players at the beginning of the draft usually and we got 4th round draft picks to trade down from the 1ST ROUND.
D-? Man gotta be kidding??? B- at LEAST!!!! Trading down was smart as they didnt find value guys at 25 then 31! They got a underrated DT in this draft who IMO and Lombardi is one of the best three DTs. THey then get our future QB to be coached up and taught by Manning and Elway.THEN they trade up to get a RB who is like Faulk??? Hillman will be great in Denver!!!!
B- grade so far AT LEAST!!!!!
Guys…
As many know on here I have done a lot of research on Wolfe. He was predicted to go mid second early 3rd a few weeks ago. His draft stock has sky rocketed!!! When we picked him the draft commentators said (either McShay or Kiper) that they were surprised that he didn’t go in the 1st. His motor was one of the best motors out of ALL the DT’s! Worthy was said to be inconsistent and was said that he was taken out on 3rd downs which is the biggest down for a lineman. Reyes was inconsistent and didn’t always show up!!
Wolfe takes on double teams and still gets to the quarterback! He was most productive DT in the draft. Had more sacks than Cox, Still, Worthy, Brockers…
Best thing about Wolfe is is that you can put him ANYWHERE on the DL. Here is his report!
4/25/12: Others rate Wolfe as a third-day pick while ESPN’s Mel Kiper projected him to go in the first round. Wolfe could be a second-day pick but his stock is difficult to project.
Wolfe performed well, yet flew under the radar at the Combine. He also had a quality week at the Senior Bowl and had his share of wins. The senior had an excellent season with 70 tackles, 21.5 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and 9.5 sacks.
At the point of attack, Wolfe overwhelms offensive linemen with his strength and speed. He closes on the quarterback quickly and plays the run extremely well. Wolfe has a nice repertoire of pass-rushing moves, and he uses a strong rip move.
Entering the NFL, Wolfe has very good technique with a steady motor. He could be an ideal 3-4 defensive end. If Wolfe stays as a 4-3 defensive tackle, he should add some more weight if he is going to be inside on every down. Some 4-3 teams could play him at left defensive end on running downs and move him inside in passing situations.
Wolfe is described as an untalented athlete that has good instincts. He will be more NFL ready, but he is never going to be elite. Seems like a reach at #36 over-all.
There is at least a 50/50 chance Osweiller never even sees the field. He looks like a bust to me.
sirucek8 hey maybe you should listen to what many MANY people are saying about this kid before you start acting like its a joke. Someone (cant remember who) said that had he gone to LSU or Alabama he would have challenged Richardson for the #1 RB!!!! He broke Faulks record in college his freshman FRESHMAN YEAR!!!!! He is so much like Faulk just cause you dont see it and hate the pick doesnt mean it isnt true.
Where did you get that he is untalented?? Lol Everything ive heard it HOW talented this kid is. Very talented!!!
AB, the trade down would have been smart if they had gotten decent value for it. They reached on the trade imo.
The talk o Hillman being like faulk is a little ridiculous. I will be happy if he can be like Sproles.
NEW BLOG
Ab..
Haha a little optimistic there man. While I am still happy with what we’ve done so far, other than Brock, we are not in the B range but we aren’t in the D range either. We would be at a C- or C+ as of now. We still have 3 major rounds coming up. After the 4th round tomorrow I should be able to tell you.
We didn’t get the right amount of compensation for trading down twice from the 1st round, whether people wanted to with us or not. Elway told the media that he’d rather trade out of the 1st round so other teams knew they could give us hardly nothing for us to bite. Also, Elway said that we were going to take the best player available and impact starters. Brock isn’t that now. He is a future plan. Not part of “Plan A” like he states. We could’ve gotten another defensive guy, WHICH WE DESPERATELY NEED, but we passed on that. We could’ve had a good corner or a great DT at that pick. Even Lavonte David was still available who got picked right after our pick!
I would say probably C+ because Brock wasn’t a need or the bpa at that position!!!
From Nfl.com:
Analysis
Strengths
Wolfe is an instinctive player who understands how to engage a lineman, extend his arms and read the flow of the play to move off his blocks. He sees screens well and can work off his man to disrupt plays inside. He can defeat single blocks well and is a decent pass rusher when put in the right scheme where he can slant and stunt to get in good position.
Weaknesses
Wolfe struggles off the ball to get into his slants. He is a slow mover and will not blow back any offensive lineman off the ball. He sometimes relies too heavily on his ability to diagnose, as it appears he is reading the play so long that blockers negate him. Double teams will give him a lot of trouble and he is on his back often when faced with them; NFL teams will see right through that and get an extra hand on him in the run game.
Do I need to explain how the trade market works AGAIN??? Well here i go.
There was no trade market for picks this year. MEANING that there wernt more than a team or two interested in trading up.
Denver took the BEST offer they got! More teams after the pick means better offers. There wernt teams after it!!!
If you had an apple and only one person wanted it and offered you a dollar youd take it. Now if 5 or 6 people wanted that apple it would drive the deal up to where you get the most you can for it. The apple is a pick.
Overview
Wolfe is a big interior lineman who plays very instinctively to be a factor in the run game. He is a slow-moving, pedestrian athlete, but this doesn’t define his ability — he finds other ways to be a factor. He can get overpowered by double teams and will need to continue to develop his technique to not be erased when he faces them. Based off his frame and potential, he has late-round value in the draft.
AB, if there are no trades you don’t trade. Just cause no one wants to buy my Ford GT40 for what it is worth, doesn’t mean it is only worth 100 bucks cause thats all I can get for it in a fire sale.
We are in great position tomorrow but it depends on how the FO plays it. We have the 6th pick and 13th pick in the 4th round. There are a lot of surprise players still available. Guys like Crick, Winn, Boykin (who was the best returner in college last year) and other guys. Let’s hope that our FO knows what players to get!!!
If a have an apple and 20 people want it, but the most they will offer is a worm, then I’m keeping my apple.
Alex you are an idiot. You completely did not get the analogy.
Denvers picks 25 first then 31 where the Apple. They didnt want those picks and wanted to get rid of it. They only had one team interested each time. Since they didnt want that pick they took best offer. Which is SMART!!!! Its better to get your guys at value then reach on them.
Denver did NOT have multiple teams after their picks they traded. So they took 1$ for that apple instead of trading it in for a spoiled pear.
again, I like the picks so far with the exception of Osweiler at 57. Think we could have picked him up at the bottom of the 3rd round but whatev. Hes got talent thats for sure. but im not sure his natural talent outweighs his weaknesses. If you watch his tape, theres some downright horrible play but also some really good play. never is there an instance in his tape where he shows middle ground type of play (game manager QB) Which tells me he will either become elite at some point or completely bust. And I wouldnt be so quick to think manning will tutor/mentor him to the liking that everybody seems to be agreeing on. Peyton spent the better half of his career in indy with quality intangible QB’s under him. we all know how they turned out…
AB I never said the guy wasn’t talented. Sorry to be unreasonable, but I want someone like Foster or Forte in the backfield. Someone with some size, speed, and hands. Compare him to faulk all you want, but don’t tell me he wouldn’t have been there in the 4th. We should have gone defense and atleast got Trumaine.
I give the draft rating a C+ or B-. I am totally excited that we got Osweiler I think that he is going to be great after manning leaves, or if he gets hurt we will have a reliable quarterback. (still would rather have tebow but….) As for Hillman I wasn’t happy at first but I think that he will be a great fit in Denver. The only one I’m not happy with is Wolfe, He is a good DT, but there were better ones available and he would of been around for a while. As for what’s left BRANDON BOYKIN (UGA), he is a above average corner, but his real talent can be used for kick returns. With Eddie Royal gone to SD he will be a great fit for Denver.