It wasn’t a flashy pick. But it was a pick filled with emotion. Former University of Utah and Snow College left tackle Garett Bolles is now a member of the Denver Broncos.
Upon being drafted, an emotional Bolles, with his 4-month-old son Kingston in hand, took to the stage to greet Roger Goodell. His excitement to be a part of the team was evident. For fans wondering what kind of player the Broncos will be getting, Bolles’ former coach at Snow College, Britt Maughan, joined Mile High Sports Radio and said it’s not so different from the first impressions fans received Thursday evening.
“You got exactly what you saw on T.V. last night. A high-energy guy that cares about his family and wears his emotions on his sleeves.” Maughan told Benny, Kent and Joe of The Big Show. “He was a pleasure to watch play and grow, and he’s gonna’ be even more fun for me to watch continue his career with you guys in the NFL.”
Maughan first met Bolles at Brigham Young University after his completion of a Church of Latter Day Saints Mission in Colorado. BYU informed Maughan they couldn’t accept Bolles, and Maughan saw an opportunity to add a potential star to his roster. Many players who go down the junior college route fail to stay committed, but Bolles was an exception.
“I went up and had a discussion about, you know, knowing a little bit about his background, saying ‘Hey, this is your chance. If this is really what you want, let’s go and do it,’” said Maughan. “I have that conversation a lot with kids, and very rarely do they stick to their plans, stick to their word and since day one that guy knew exactly what he wanted to become.”
What the Broncos hope he becomes is a mainstay on their offensive line. Rewind a few years, and Maughan and the rest of his staff didn’t quite know what kind of player they were getting when Bolles enrolled. That became clear in a short time.
“To be honest, we didn’t know what we had when we got him,” said Maughan. “He didn’t have a lot of high school film. We just knew we had a really big and athletic guy. Within the first two days, we were like, ‘this guy’s gonna be a dude’”.
That being said, college success is great and all, but the real question remains how will Bolles fit into the Broncos’ offense? Can he utilize his tremendous athleticism and brute strength to benefit the Broncos? Maughan doesn’t doubt it.
“He’s probably the best offensive lineman that I’ve personally ever watched play, with his athleticism,” said Maughan. “I think the perfect fit for him was the Denver Broncos because of what you guys run on offense with that zone scheme.”
One of the only knocks on Bolles, and the reason some teams may have passed on him, is experience. He isn’t the youngest of players at 25 years of age, and he only played one season of Division I football at Utah. While this may have scared some teams away, Maughan looks at it as one of his biggest strengths.
“He doesn’t have a lot of experience playing and he’s only gonna get better. He is barely starting to touch upon what he can do athletically,” said Maughan.
Bolles doesn’t just look the part. He’s known for his tenacious, nasty play, even saying it himself. He is just the kind of player the Broncos need on an offensive line that lacked an edge last year. Athleticism and aggression is a unique combination, especially with offensive lineman, and Maughan remembers Bolles providing it down after down.
“It’s very rare to find an offensive lineman that is so aggressive play after play. He’ll back up what he says,” said Maughan.
With his set of skills, persistent work ethic and a body free of years of wear and tear, Bolles could be a great one. When asked if he could be a star in the league, Maughan had little doubt.
“I believe so.”
Listen to the full interview with Britt Maughan, including his thoughts on football recruits in Utah, in the podcast below…
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