Broncos take left tackle in 1st round
Utah’s Bolles is first O-lineman selected
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — John Elway continued injecting some venom into his offensive line Thursday night when he selected Utah left tackle Garett Bolles with the 20th pick of the NFL draft.
That’s the lowest the first O-lineman has ever come off the board in the modern draft.
Four days earlier, Elway expressed confidence he could find a starting-caliber left tackle in a class relatively weak on offensive linemen.
The Broncos missed the playoffs last season for the first time in his six-year tenure. So, Elway went about adding some nastiness in the trenches this offseason. He signed free agents Domata Peko and Zach Kerr on defense and Ron Leary and Menelik Watson on offense.
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Bolles, a punishing run blocker, fits the same nasty profile.
A troubled teenager, Bolles went the junior college route before going one-and-done at Utah, where he was named firstteam All-Pac 12.
The 24-year-old served his Mormon mission in Colorado Springs.
“I love Colorado. I have a heart there because those are the people I taught on my mission,” Bolles said at the combine, where he ran a 4.95 40-yard dash. “If I end up going there, I’d be just fine.”
An emotional Bolles held his
newborn son, Kingston, as he walked on stage at draft headquarters in Philadelphia and declared, “Denver, I’m coming back home!”
Bolles said he not only brings good footwork to the pros but also a maturity born from his wayward past.
“I have a plan, I have a mission. When you become a husband and you become a father, you have to sort of grow up and you have to become the person you want to be. And I plan to do whatever it takes,” Bolles said. “And I don’t even know the old Garett, in case you guys were wondering. … I don’t even know who that old Garett is.”