Quintin Echols does not need the impact of Darrent Williams explained to him. He does not need a refresher on the loss of the popular cornerback, who was shot and killed hours after the Broncos’ 2006 season ended.
Echols lived the horror right alongside Williams’ Broncos teammates. Nearly the entire Denver organization sat broken-hearted at Williams’ funeral as one key member of the organization after another stood and spoke about what the exuberant little man meant to them. Echols sat nearby until it was time to pay his final respects to his childhood friend, a friend so close Echols refers to Williams as his cousin.
Echols served as a pallbearer for Williams. The Broncos’ entourage watched as Echols and other close friends slowly and respectfully ended an emotional service by marching Williams’ casket out of a packed church to a waiting horse and carriage.
The night before the funeral in Fort Worth, Texas, Echols spoke at a memorial service, focusing on how Williams gave local athletes hope they could make it to the NFL. Someday soon, Echols might be able to relate to that as a member of the Broncos.
As the NFL draft approaches this weekend, Echols is being studied by the Broncos. The massive defensive tackle from Kansas State could be a good fit.
“It would be an honor to be a Denver Bronco,” Echols said. “Me and Darrent talked about how cool it would be to play together in the NFL. That’s not going to happen after the tragedy, but I’d love to put on that uniform for him. I am not going to be a first-round guy, so I can’t really say I want to be at this place or that place, but for obvious reasons I feel a connection to the Broncos. I know how they feel about Darrent and they know how I feel.”
Echols and Williams grew up together. Echols’ mother, Dorothy Lang, and Williams’ mother, Rosalind Williams, were childhood friends who grew up on the same street in Fort Worth and still speak daily. The two football players’ grandparents still live on the same block.
“They’re close family friends,” Williams’ uncle, Demond Williams, said of the Echols family. “Quintin is like family. I’d love to root for him in Denver.”
Echols was a year behind Williams at O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth and calls Williams his hero. They talked often after graduating from high school. While Williams spent two seasons in Denver and Echols was at Kansas State, Echols often called his friend for advice.
“He told me how to handle certain problems in college,” Echols said. “And what to expect in the NFL. He’s a guy I looked up to.”
Echols also credits Williams’ mother as an inspiration for him as he transitioned from high school to college and now as he tires to make the next step. Rosalind Williams helped Echols prepare for the SAT and the recruiting trail.
“That family is very special to me,” Echols said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”
While he calls the prospects of ending up in Denver a dream, there are plenty of reasons it could become reality. The Broncos’ new assistant head coach in charge of defense, Jim Bates, craves big men in the middle. At 6-feet-1 and 328 pounds, Echols qualifies. The Broncos are looking at several big defensive tackles, including Tennessee’s Justin Harrell, Utah’s Paul Soliai and Florida’s Ray McDonald and Marcus Thomas.
Those players are higher on most draft boards than Echols, but he is likely to be a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent. Expect him to be in an NFL training camp this summer.
Echols said he talked to a Broncos representative at the NFL scouting combine in February, and Denver was at his pro day.
“I know what Denver needs, and I think I can help,” Echols said. “I take up a lot for space and I take pride in stuffing the middle.”
Lang jokes that it used to be the family dream that her son would grow up to be a Dallas Cowboy. What kid from Fort Worth wouldn’t want to play right down the road at Texas Stadium?
“That used to be the case,” she said. “We know that Quintin may not become a Bronco and we are excited about his chance to play in the league anywhere, but Denver, because of everything that we all went through, would be the best place for him. To even think that it’s a possibility is unbelievable.”
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
