One of the traits to quickly get the Denver Broncos to the level of the Kansas City Chiefs is by adding speed to their offense.
The Denver Broncos took a risk not trading up for Jerry Jeudy with their 15th selection in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. If the Broncos did, one could argue they might not have been able to draft their next pick. Denver surprised a lot of people by choosing wide receiver KJ Hamler out of Penn State. For the Broncos to catch the Kansas City Chiefs in the division, they must revamp their offense with speed, speed, and more speed.
In a recent article by Peter King, John Elway mentioned the Broncos clocked Hamler on his kickoff return touchdown against Michigan at a 3.93 (40-yard dash). This is not from the point of the catch (dead stop) to the 40-yard line, however. The point of the calculation stems from the last 40 yards of the return to the end zone for the touchdown. It is a full-speed calculation that brought a lot of excitement to fans in Broncos Country.
Hamler is a true speed threat capable of working in the slot. The Nittany Lion is a true weapon added to an arsenal that now includes Jeudy as well.
Like Jeudy, Hamler is an exceptional route runner and after the catch maestro. Quick passes will give playmakers the ball and make up for any offensive line deficiencies. This is one of the strong selling points of Drew Lock in the last five games in 2019. His release was fast helping limit the sack total to five in five games. Now that playmakers have been added it moves the needle for the offense to be better equipped with big-play weapons.
To use a basketball reference, Hamler is the football equivalent of a ‘shot-creator’. When quarterbacks get him the ball quickly after the snap, Hamler is elusive and physical enough to find the first down marker. Next, you factor the added speed and awareness along with his elusiveness. One of the constants in sports is speed. You cannot teach game-wrecking speed and when you factor in a player capable of being a scat wideout, it is a nightmare for defenses.
Hamler is shifty enough to evade numerous people to move the sticks. We mentioned route running above, but let’s add the speed to it. Hamler’s speed initially off the line makes routes like a slot fades or smash corners near impossible to neutralize. There are very few in the NFL that can.
A lot like Jeudy, Hamler seems to be a victim of concentration drops, but when it is not a problem it is breathtaking what he does with the ball in his hands. There was a long touchdown pass against Ohio State that was a simple slant route.
Hamler concentrates enough to get the catch and outruns a future first-round pick in Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade. The new Broncos wideout hits full stride and outruns an entire defense widely considered by some to be a “DBU” or Defensive Backs University. It begs the question of whether Hamler is as fast or faster than Henry Ruggs III, a former Broncos target drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders. It is worth noting Hamler did not run at the NFL Combine but has been clocked at the same time as Ruggs did at the Combine but there are legends that he only hit the 4.3 range on a bad day.
Talked to Penn State's KJ Hamler via Skype just now, and he said his best 3C time and SS time at EXOS were 6.80s and 4.00s, respectively.
— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) March 31, 2020
Hamler also said he clocked a 4.27s 40-yard dash before suffering a hamstring injury in training.
Hamler is primed for success in an offense that will feature a wide variety of new playmakers. The human joystick that is Hamler will be one of many for Drew Lock and he has the potential to be a special talent in the new age NFL. It’s fair to wonder what Hamler’s presence on the roster means for Pro Bowl alternate return specialist Diontae Spencer. As of right now, Hamler should be slated as a starter on the offense. Furthermore, Hamler may prove to be more valuable as a starter than a returner. It makes sense to have a complete team in that regard.
Denver Broncos have a human joystick weapon to help move the needle on offense to challenge the Chiefs. It’s Hamler Time Broncos Country.