With the very recent signing of Joel Dreessen to a Denver Broncos contract, his return home prompted me to take a look at the common bond he shares with other previous Broncos.

This blog won’t be about Peyton Manning and might not be as interesting to some readers, but it might be a fun look at 12 players who grew up in Colorado, played high school football in our state, went on to play college football in Colorado, and then reached the NFL with the Broncos, the team that all of them grew up watching.

Dreessen went to Fort Morgan High School and was on the state 3A championship tam there in 1999. He had the added honor of being named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, making him the only Bronco player ever to have a Colorado prep state title, NFF scholar/athlete status, plus in state college play (Colorado State) and ultimately the Broncos. When you can count the list on a single thumb, that’s a short list to be on.