After moving up five spots in the first round last night, the Denver Broncos stayed put with their second-round pick, choosing Adam Gotsis with the 63rd overall pick.
The defensive lineman out of Georgia Tech may not start for the Broncos, but he will certainly be apart of the rotation. Not a household name, especially for a second-round pick, here are five things you need to know about the newest member of the Denver Broncos:
Born in Australia
Gotsis, born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, didn’t come over to the United States until college. His family still lives in Australia and watched his college games between 2 and 5 a.m. on their laptop computers.
Was a member of the IFAF World Team
In his final year of high school, Gotsis was selected to play on the IFAF World Team that played in the USA Football’s International Bowl in 2012. Before playing American rules late in high school, Gotsis played eight years of Australian Rules Football.
Lots of upside
Since Gotsis was not completely surrounded by American football until he came to college in 2012, he has a lot of upside and potential. Gotsis started every game he was healthy for at Georgia Tech after his freshman season and posted very similar numbers each year — about 35 tackles and four sacks. However, his college numbers do not point to his NFL potential.
Was recruited as an athlete at 6-foot-5, 300 pounds
After his high school coach reached out to American college coaches, Gotsis was recruited as an athlete, for either the offensive or defensive line. Gotsis said that Georgia Tech lacked quality players on the defensive line, so that’s where they decided to put him.
Value fell after tearing his ACL his senior year
On the first play against Virginia on October 31, 2015, Gotsis tore his ACL, ending his collegiate career. With enough uncertainty about Gotsis before his injury, tearing his ACL put him even further down the draft board — not the Broncos’ board, apparently.
While this move may initially seem like a head-scratcher, the Broncos believe he has a lot of upside. Gotsis has many similarities as another second-round pick of the Elway regime, Derek Wolfe — similar size, play and potential. That one seemed to work out just fine.
