Derek Wolfe to Have Solid Rookie Season for Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos traded out of the first day of the 2012 NFL Draft and still landed the man they wanted in the early second round. They needed to bring youth to their defensive tackle position and apparently they got who they wanted all along with Cincinnati’s DT Derek Wolfe.
Derek Wolfe, DT Cincinnati (Round 2, Pick 36 Overall)
The Broncos took Wolfe with their initial selection. He’s 6’5″ and 295 pounds and is the reigning Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was a 3-year starter at Cincinnati and gained a reputation for being a hard worker. Wolfe has excellent pass-rushing skills, is stout against the run, and is relentless with his effort. The national experts heaped a ton of praise on this selection, and it sounds like Wolfe could become a fan favorite very quickly.
How much Wolfe will contribute in his rookie season is yet to be determined, but the depth chart will just have aging veterans DT Ty Warren and DT Kevin Vickerson ahead of him. Warren is 31 and has battled several injuries over the last couple of seasons. He did not play in one game last season due to an injury. Vickerson is 29 and will be in his 8th season despite only have started in a total of 18 games over the past 7 seasons. Last season Vickerson played in 5 games and started 4 even though he only recorded 4 tackles.
Wolfe should get a chance to start right away based on only having aging veterans who have been injured recently ahead of him and Vickerson is not starting material. Wolfe is going to give you the energy you need to spark a defense and lead a team by example. He has a high motor and very good work ethic and I believe these trait will find him a starting role sooner rather than later.
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