Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio was a driving force behind the team’s second-round selection of Penn State WR KJ Hamler.
The Denver Broncos, for the first time in team history, took wide receivers with back-to-back picks to open the 2020 NFL Draft.
In the first round, the team grabbed Jerry Jeudy, a route running savant whose number one skill is creating separation in so many different ways, defensive backs don’t know how to cover him.
In the second round, the Broncos targeted Penn State’s KJ Hamler, one of the fastest players in the class and apparently someone head coach Vic Fangio had his heart set on.
Starting around the 8:11 part of this video, Broncos director of player personnel Matt Russell reveals that the KJ Hamler pick was driven by the team’s head coach:
"“The funny thing is — Vic is a defensive guy, but — Vic was a big driver behind Hamler. And, uh, Vic loved Hamler…”Matt Russell (Denver Broncos media)"
Russell also reveals that it was Vic Fangio who dug up the alleged 3.93 Hamler ran on 40-yards of a breakaway kickoff return.
Fangio has talked in the past about looking for offensive players in the draft that he would hate to have to plan a defense against, and apparently, Hamler fits that description quite well. Fangio also told Hamler over the phone when he was drafted that many of his family in the state of Pennsylvania were pining for Vic to select the Penn State star.
After the second day of the draft, John Elway said that Hamler is a guy, “as Vic would say scares the heck out of defenses.”
It speaks volumes to the type of playmaker Hamler is that Fangio would be banging the proverbial table to draft him, and it’s also fascinating to hear Matt Russell — if you listen to that entire segment with Phil Milani of the Denver Broncos digital team — talk about the fact that Elway had wanted to go after multiple receivers early in the draft pretty much no matter what.
Obviously that wasn’t non-negotiable considering the team was also interested in trading back into the first round for LSU linebacker Patrick Queen, but with the way it worked out, it seems like Hamler was a player the Broncos had very high on their list. Specifically, he was a player that head coach Vic Fangio wanted in the fold.
It doesn’t get pointed out often, but it’s very clear that when it comes to personnel, John Elway (rightfully) trusts Vic Fangio’s eye for talent. Fangio is not one to heap praise on players before they’ve earned it. Perhaps that’s why Elway trusts and values his opinions so much.
It also seems like Elway, Fangio, Matt Russell, and the front office are all very much on the same page with things and the way this team is being built. Russell emphasized that the way the Broncos’ draft went was very much tailored for young quarterback Drew Lock to be successful in his second season as a pro.
Hamler will be a big-time weapon for the Broncos in the slot, and it’s fun to know that he was a favorite of the defensive-minded Vic Fangio.