Wide receiver competition for the Denver Broncos is deep, but seventh-round rookie draft pick Devaughn Vele feels like a sure thing to make the active roster. Despite being a rookie, Vele’s got a demonstrable level of experience that has him looking like a lock for the 53-man roster.
Denver Broncos rookie Devaughn Vele mastering his approach
It’s not often you find a 26-year-old rookie in the National Football League, but Devaughn Vele is. When you watch him at practice, and he’s standing next to you, he’s tall. When he’s standing next to Courtland Sutton, he’s just as tall but leaner in terms of muscle mass, but is still just as explosive. It hasn’t mattered much in training camp whether he’s been open or tightly covered, when the ball has been thrown Vele’s way, he’s made the play consistently which is reminiscent of Sutton himself.
“I pay a lot of attention to how he [Sutton] plays,” Vele said. “He’s a lot bigger [of a] receiver, kind of like how I am. So I try to model my game after him. He’s really good at using his body and his leverage, leaning on defensive backs. [He’s] good with his hands, and then the biggest thing is just making the tough catches. I try to watch his film as well as a bunch of the other guys’ film to try to model my game after that.”
The rookie is off to a nice start so far throughout training camp and the preseason. In Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, he drew two pass interference calls that helped move the chains for the Broncos offense, and his size and athleticism are a big reason why. He has all of the tools to be a matchup problem for opposing defenses, especially if Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and Josh Reynolds see different coverage looks, which means if he makes the 53-man roster, he’ll be relied upon early and often.
While his athleticism is important, he’s picked up on some little nuances from vets like Sutton and Patrick, which has helped him deal with the learning curve of playing in college and transitioning to the NFL.
“Just being smarter with how I play,” Vele said. “Everybody is just as athletic as you are, if not better. One thing that I’ve noticed is that experience trumps everything. So I’m learning from the veterans as much as I can and just trying to be smarter with how I play. You can’t rely too much on your athleticism because at the end of the day, it’s going to be experience and smarts that are going to help you get open.”
Vele will be a player to watch for as the rest of training camp rolls on and Denver closes out the preseason in these next two games against the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals.
