Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall, projected as a first-round pick, and Boston College offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus, who is expected to go late in the first or early in the second, visited with Broncos coaches and officials Wednesday.
The 6-foot-7, 314-pound Cherilus was a right tackle until he switched to left tackle in his senior season. Which is nothing compared to the adjustment he made from growing up playing soccer in Haiti to moving to the United States at age 14 and playing football for the first time as a high school sophomore.
“Even if he wasn’t such a phenomenal offensive tackle, Gosder would be one of the most fascinating people you could ever meet,” said Greg Diulus, his agent. “He speaks fluent French. He’s one of the bigger tackles in this draft, but he’s also one of the most athletic.”
The Broncos are considering taking Mendenhall, Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart, Miami safety Kenny Phillips, North Carolina defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer, receivers DeSean Jackson of Cal and Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly or any number of offensive tackles, including Cherilus, with their first-round draft pick April 26.
Choosing a player for the helmet device.
The Broncos have yet to discuss which player will get the communication device in his helmet for the purpose of receiving play calls from defensive coordinator Bob Slowik. The most logical candidates would be middle linebacker Niko Koutouvides, weakside linebacker D.J. Williams and perhaps safety Hamza Abdullah or John Lynch.
Only one player per huddle can have the device.
“We have a lot of questions about it as far as how it’s going to work,” Koutouvides said. “There’s so many personnel changes on defense, and a lot of times you don’t get the play called until the offense is coming up to the line. So we all have a lot of questions as to how it’s going to work.”
Mike Klis, The Denver Post
