Hey Aric, I'm a big fan of KJ Hamler. Do you think he can become a big piece of what we're doing this year? — Martin S.
Martin, I was definitely impressed by the second-round pick in his first NFL action, and it's clear his speed can do wonders for this offense. I'll give you a couple of examples: On his first catch, a 17-yard gain late in the first half, his vertical speed challenged the cornerback, and Hamler was able to gain plenty of separation on an out-breaking route to the sideline. Later in the game, in the fourth quarter, he again closed the distance between himself and the cornerback. Because the cornerback has to respect Hamler's ability to blow by him, that means Hamler gains the upper hand with any type of comeback route. He also made a contested catch on third down as he lined up on the outside. Drops were a bit of a knock on Hamler coming out of college, so I was impressed to see him make that catch. Finally, his positional versatility makes him interesting. He lined up in the slot and on the outside, and he set up in splits that were both close to the offensive line and along the boundary. When he's lined up with a short split from the offensive line, I'd imagine that increases what the Broncos are able to do. He has the speed to get out to the boundary, so you want to give him room to run and create separation. He also can push a defender deep and work back to the middle of the field. The Broncos will need to take an occasional deep shot to Hamler to keep defenses honest, but they're always going to respect a player's ability to take the top of the defense. Especially with Sutton out, Hamler should gain valuable experience and be a featured part of this offense.