Broncos third-round draft pick Brendan Langley isn’t fazed by the speed of the NFL. If anything, he’s anxious to prove that he’s got the wheels to make it in the league.
The 6-foot, 200-pound cornerback was projected as a fifth- or sixth-round talent, but the Broncos grabbed him in the third round partly because of his blinding speed. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and an 11.19 60-yard shuttle at the combine. Now he’s waiting for his chance to show off that speed to his teammates.
“Actually, I’ve been waiting,” Langley told Les Shapiro of Mile High Sports AM 1340| FM 104.7 when asked if he’s ready to go head-to-head with his teammates in a foot race.
Broncos players over the years have put on informal (but high stakes) races between teammates, and the rookie isn’t shy about saying he’s ready to get in on the action.
“I’ve been waiting to put my money where my mouth is. I’ve been waiting for somebody to call me out, so we’ll see. I’ve heard a couple guys chirping. [They] haven’t really put me in the mix, but they’re in for a surprise if they don’t think so.”
Langley oozes confidence, which should make him a great fit with the other outspoken personalities of the ‘No Fly Zone.’ However, with so much talent and experience ahead of him on the depth chart, Langley will very likely have to make the active roster via special teams.
He’s already working in the punt return game, where he has noticed one big difference between the NFL and college.
“[I’m] still adapting to catching NFL punts. You know, off the NFL punter’s foot and things like that, but I’m getting there.
“Hang time,” is the difference, Langley says. “For me it’s hang time, because I played in the Southland Conference, so definitely hang time.”
That’s been about the only big surprise for Langley, though. He appears well-prepared for the transition from college to the NFL, saying that his standards were already set high when he learned he was going to be a Denver Bronco.
“I had my expectations set pretty high coming to this team. So, pretty much everything that I thought it was going to be, it was.”
Langley might have flown a little under the radar after transferring from the Georgia Bulldogs of the storied SEC to the Lamar Cardinals of the Southland Conference, but he’s ready to surprise some folks, beginning with his teammates.
Listen to the full interview with Langley, including what he’s learning so far from the ‘No Fly Zone,’ in the podcast below.
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Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
