Even before the No. 20 pick of the 2017 NFL Draft came in, Garett Bolles was drawing comparisons to Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe. Because even though they play on opposite sides of the ball, the Broncos see a whole lot of Wolfe in Bolles – especially his tenacity. As such, they’re expecting a friendly rivalry to develop between them. Wolfe expects the same.

Since his arrival in Denver as the first pick (second round) of their 2012 draft class, Wolfe has been a force in stopping the run. He’s made headlines for saying things like he wanted to eat quarterbacks’ kids, and he’s become one of the most-feared defenders on a fearsome Denver defense.

John Elway and Vance Joseph think Bolles can be the same kind of player at the tackle position in the years to come. At their press conference on Thursday night following the selection, Elway said, “We’re thrilled with the progress that Derek has made. He has become a fantastic player. If Garett follows those footsteps and becomes the player that Derek is, we’ll be very, very happy with that.”

As for what they can expect when the two line up against one another, Elway knows that he’s going to have two hardcore competitors going after one another.

“We were kind of giggling up there in the draft room. We’ll see how many times those two go against each other. We’re going to need a bell to stop them,” Elway said.

Wolfe more or less confirmed that attitude on Thursday, when Reno Boyd of 9News grabbed him for a quick comment.

“Whoever’s lined up across from me, whether he’s a teammate or not, he’s going to get his ass kicked. That’s how I looked at it” Wolfe joked.

But it’s all to make the team better.

“Me and [Broncos guard] Max Garcia were joking about it today, because we go really hard against each other every day. So, I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m going to go hard as hard as I can against you to try to make you better. Because, if you’re not playing great, then we’re not winning.

Wolfe made it very clear that it’s all about improving his teammates.

“I say that I want to kick his ass, but I want them to do well, obviously. So, that’s why I’m going so hard.”

Bolles will report for rookie minicamp May 11-13. The bell will ring with Wolfe on the field for OTAs May 23-25, May 30-31, June 1, and June 5-8. Things will really get interesting when mandatory minicamp rolls around June 13-15.