Garett Bolles adds another element of toughness to Broncos line

The Denver Broncos drafted Garett Bolles with the 20th overall pick in the draft. He brings much needed toughness to the LT position…

The Denver Broncos set out this offseason to get bigger and tougher in the trenches after struggling last season both offensively and defensively on both sides of the line. After signing Ronald Leary, Menelik Watson, Domata Peko, and Zach Kerr in free agency, it was clear John Elway wasn’t messing around.

It became abundantly clear after the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, when Elway passed on some pretty darn good defensive talent to take Utah offensive tackle Garett Bolles.

Bolles, the no. 11 overall player on my final big board, has some of the best athleticism I have seen from an offensive tackle prospect coming out of college. Of course, the big knock against Bolles is the fact that he’ll be 25 as a rookie. That’s a stark difference compared to a guy like David Njoku, who was picked by the Cleveland Browns. He’s 20 years old.

But Bolles’ journey into college football was not common.

After being kicked out of/suspended from five schools as a teenager, and was kicked out of his father’s house. He was taken in by a family who knew his situation and his family, and was given a strict set of rules to live by.

Bolles received tutoring to help with his grades in school, and also took an LDS mission to Colorado. He completely turned his life around and wound up playing football at Snow College in Utah, where he generated a ton of interest from college scouts.

After being recruited by some of the top colleges in the country — Alabama, Auburn, Oregon, Ohio State among them — Bolles decided to stay close to home and play for Utah, where he joined a very talented offensive line that could put a total of three players into the NFL this season.

Entering his lone season at Utah, Bolles was 23 going on 24, but he needed that year of FBS experience to show NFL scouts that he belongs among the best of the best. Bolles did just that, earning the distinction of top tackle in the 2017 NFL Draft by many, and many also regarded him as a top 15 prospect.

The Broncos knew going into the draft that Bolles was the guy they wanted, and there were rumors swirling about potentially needing to move up to get him.

As quarterbacks and defensive players flew off the board, the reality of Denver being able to stick with the 20th overall pick started to materialize. As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stole O.J. Howard with the 19th overall pick, the Broncos were probably ready to send their card in for Bolles.

He got the call from Elway, and brings the type of physical mentality the Broncos have coveted this offseason.

At the 2017 Scouting Combine, Bolles said when he’s on the field, he wants to ‘put people in the dirt’ in response to questions about his personality on the field vs. his personality off of it. The Broncos know they are getting a big, mean left tackle when the pads are on, but a family man and a man of faith off the field.

Bolles and his wife recently celebrated the birth of their son, who is now famously part of his walk up to meet Roger Goodell after being drafted. While some have raised concerns about Bolles’ age and background, John Elway stated after the draft that it’s a non-issue.

"As far as the age, no. And with the background, having a chance to get him in here, get to meet him and understanding his background, that was not a concern either. We just really thought that athletically, the way he plays the game, the mentality he brings to the game, he was in our mind the best left tackle in the draft. We were wondering how things were going to fall. Once the quarterbacks started jumping off the board early, that kind of increased our chances. He was our target, so we feel really good about getting him.(quotes obtained via Denver Broncos PR)"

Prior to being drafted by the Broncos, Bolles was brought to Denver for a pre-draft visit. The Broncos used that time to get to know their prized tackle and new blindside protector, and Elway said they came away impressed.

"We found out that he has a great sense of humor. I think that that’s one thing that we did find out is his great sense of humor. We also found out how bad he wants to be good. Obviously with his background, with maturity, and with him having been to Colorado on his mission, with him being married and having a child now, that was awesome to see him bring his child down there tonight. I think that shows you a little bit about what he’s about. He brings enthusiasm. That’s what he was. He was enthusiastic and high energy. It was not only his athletic ability, but it was also what he brings when he walks in the door in the morning. You see how good he wants to be and how much of a competitor he is. I think it will make that whole offensive line much better."

It wasn’t all roses at Utah for Bolles, however. He was penalized plenty and has some work to do on his overall technique. Some feel like he’s a bit of a project, but as a pass protector and run blocker, Bolles was able to use his physical abilities and improving feel for the game to simply dominate at times.

There were also times he let his frustration get the best of him, and it’ll be up to the Broncos’ coaching staff to bring him along quickly in terms of technique. There will be growing pains, and John Elway has stated he talked with Bolles about the personal foul penalties:

"I’ve already had that talk with him (laughing). We had that conversation when he was here last week. We talked about the fact that he has to understand that we love the passion that he plays with and how he plays with it, but he has to make sure that he stays within it. We can’t afford to have personal fouls. He was the one of most penalized offensive lineman and he realizes that. Vance had that same talk with him, too. I think that he’s aware of what that is in the end. He’s a smart guy and he’ll get somewhere with that."

The Broncos got themselves a good one in Bolles, who showed off a nasty streak at Utah that was endearing to me as a fan of good football early on. Moving forward with two young quarterbacks, the Broncos are going to need Bolles to work hard and be their starting left tackle sooner rather than later.

I have no doubt he can do exactly that.