Ronnie Hillman poses for the media at Broncos headquarters. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

I’m really excited about newly drafted running back Ronnie Hillman. I think he’ll be a nice compliment to Willis McGahee and take some pressure off of Peyton Manning.

To get to know the man the Broncos drafted 67th overall, I asked David Frerker of Surf the Spear some questions about Hillman and what we can expect. Surf the Spear is Fansided”s San Diego State site.

Can Hillman make an immediate impact in the backfield for the Broncos?

Yes, but it will take a little bit of time for him to get into the NFL mindset.

What were his strengths and weaknesses at SDSU?

Hillman has many strengths and they include speed and balance. He  also has a knack for the open field. When Ronnie would get the hand off, the first thing he would do is look at the opposition of the opposing teams secondary. That way he could hit the gaps created by the offensive line without having to think about that lineman. Once that occurs, Hillman is hard to catch.

HIllman had two weaknesses at San Diego State, and they were catching and big 300-pound + lineman. When big lineman would explode into the backfield, Hillman tended to become a diagonal runner instead of hitting the hole and getting into the open field. He constantly works on improving his receiving skills and it shows.

He’s being compared to Darren Sproles. Is that a good comparison?

Comparing his to Spoles is semi inaccurate. Hillamn was never a punt or kick returner at SDSU, and I don’t see him returning kicks in the NFL. Hillman does compare to Sproles in the backfield. I think Hillman like to run and will get more handoffs than Sproles had on the Chargers and on the Saints. I can see him being used in the screen game in the exact fashion that Sproles had been used. I would compare Hillman to our alumni, Marshall Faulk. He beat almost all of Faulk’s rushing records and SDSU and is looking forward to the chance to set them in the NFL.

Any idea what Hillman is like off the field?

He pushes himself hard and is always in the gym. He does have a daughter, which is one of the main reasons he left SDSU for the NFL Draft.

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A packed stadium, a warm brat, a Goodyear blimp overhead, and a the clashing of shoulder pads speak volumes on Sundays.

Every week, family and friends gather around a television or pack into a car to head to a stadium and spend time together routing on their favorite team. It’s the equivalent to an Italian family dinner. All are welcome so long as a curse word doesn’t bother your ears.
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Congratulations to Shannon Sharpe for being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a 2011 class member. Sharpe and six others will be enshrined on August 6th in Canton, Ohio. The rest of the class includes RB Marshall Faulk, DE Richard Dent, LB Les Richter, LB Chris Hanburger, CB Deion Sanders, and NFL films founder Ed Sabol. Sharpe, who is widely considered as one of the best tight ends who has ever played the game, finally earned his entrance into the most prestigious of football brotherhoods in his third year of eligibility. 
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