Denver Broncos: Surprise players at training camp so far

Which players have come seemingly out of nowhere to impress the coaching staff at Denver Broncos training camp in 2018 so far?

One of the most fun parts of any NFL training camp is when a player rises from seemingly out of nowhere, surprises the fan base, and makes the squad. The Denver Broncos have some players who are early front-runners to be this year’s surprise inclusions on the 53-man roster.

Let’s take a look at a few of the surprises…

River Cracraft, WR

One of the top surprises so far in Broncos Training camp is receiver River Cracraft.

Cracraft, unfortunately, suffered a major knee injury in his senior season at Washington State, and was unable to do a full workout for NFL teams prior to the 2017 NFL Draft as a result.

He got an opportunity with the Denver Broncos on October 18 but was waived/injured after his second practice.

The Broncos liked him enough to bring him back when he got fully healthy on December 19.

He signed a reserve/future contract this offseason and has done nothing but make plays throughout OTAs and now into training camp.

Cracraft debuted on the Broncos’ depth chart as one of the team’s top six receivers, the backup punt returner, and third in the pecking order at kick returner.

The team has very clearly been impressed with what he’s bringing to the table and with his crafty (no pun intended) route running ability, he could continue to stand out.

Cracraft came from the Mike Leach air-raid offense at Washington State, which is traditionally infamous for not being overly translatable to the NFL level.

On the contrary in this case, as Leach’s offense requires his receivers to run a very expansive route tree, and Cracraft has great feet as a result. He’s not the biggest or the fastest, but he can manipulate defenses with his foot quickness and he’s been making some nice grabs as well.