The Denver Broncos ended the second day of the draft by selecting Justin Simmons in the third round with the 98th overall pick. Simmons, a safety from Boston College, brings much needed depth to the Broncos safety position as well as versatility in the secondary as he also played corner at Boston College.
“Our safeties [at Georgia Tech] were very versatile … so that’s kind of where my game came from,” said Simmons.
Simmons mentioned that he can play free safety, strong safety, down in the box and also can move out to nickel or corner.
Head coach Gary Kubiak pointed to this versatility as being extremely important, not just to the defensive backfield, but also for the entire defense.
“Obviously he’s going to fill a lot of roles on our football team,” Kubiak said, “but the biggest thing he gives us is the ability defensively to have some flexibility with T.J. [Ward] being a box player and [Darien Stewart] ‘Stew’ being in the middle of the field. This kid can come down either way.”
And in joining this group of talented defenders, Simmons knows he’ll only continue to grow.
“I’m just really looking forward to coming in and learning as much as I can and just being a sponge from day one and taking in everything I can from those guys,” said Simmons.
Even though the “No Fly Zone” is chock full of talent, Simmons isn’t going to settle for a backup role.
“It’s nothing but positives from here, and I’m just looking forward to coming in and competing and learning as much as I can,” said Simmons.
Kubiak and Elway sang the praise of Simmons flexibility and knowledge of the defense, but didn’t forget to mention his physical abilities.
“This guys measurable, they’re off the chart,” said Kubiak.
While Day 2 picks are expected to have a role on the team as a rookie, Elway and Kubiak expect Simmons to play a major role, even on this fantastic defense.
“We’ve added a big piece to the puzzle,” said Kubiak.