Cody Latimer continues to wait for his first professional reception. His work, however, shows up every week on the stat sheet. The second-round draft pick from Indiana stars on the Broncos’ scout team. He already has played the role of T.Y. Hilton, Dwayne Bowe and Percy Harvin — and this past week, he played the role of the man Broncos fans hope he can become, Eric Decker.
“I am doing what I can to help team win. I want my work to translate for the defense on game day,” Latimer said. “In my predicament now, I don’t really worry about whether I will play or not. I know my time will come.”
The transition to the NFL has been jarring. Latimer had always been a star, excelling in basketball before picking up football during his junior year of high school. Watching from the Denver sideline — a healthy scratch in three consecutive games — has been humbling but educational. Latimer’s practices serve as graduate school.
“It’s crazy. I will be talking to our defense on the sideline, and I will tell them, ‘This is about to be a touchdown.’ They are like, ‘You were right,’ ” said Latimer, who dropped only one pass in his senior season at Indiana and caught the Broncos’ attention with his blocking. “I see the formations, picture what will happen and picture myself out there. It’s helping me. My football knowledge is growing every day.”
His role will grow too, whether it’s this season or next year. Before the Broncos headed to the Meadowlands to play the New York Jets on Sunday, Latimer talked about his hoop dreams, movies and the challenge of learning the Denver playbook.
Q: As a former college star, how have you dealt with not playing?
A: It’s tough. I have been getting a lot of support. I didn’t know a lot of the offense when I got here. I would get down on myself. My teammates helped me build my confidence. Now each day I smile, practice hard and make plays. I know I can do this. I am confident. It’s just whenever the time comes, be ready. You don’t want to be one of those players that when somebody goes down, you are unprepared.
Q: Denver’s playbook isn’t easy to master. What makes it difficult for a wide receiver?
A: It’s totally different than college. We had audibles, but we looked to the sideline for signals. A couple of routes converted. Here, all of the routes convert. Here, you don’t play a certain position. You could play either slot, outside, or maybe even the tight end position. You have to learn everything. In college, I might know two outside roles. Here, I know all of the roles, routes and the blitzes. And each position has something different. It has helped a lot. I am learning so much, soaking it in.
Q: In arguably the deepest wide receiver draft ever — 33 were selected, including 12 in the first two rounds — you went 56th overall. Were you worried you might be overlooked because you played at Indiana, which isn’t a power program?
A: I wasn’t worried about that. I was just trying to do my job. My first couple of years there, I wasn’t even thinking about playing in the NFL. I was just trying to help turn around the program because everybody knows it’s a basketball school. We were trying to get to a bowl game.
Q: You excelled at hoops, winning a high school state title for Jefferson Township in Dayton, Ohio, with former Michigan State star Adreian Payne. Who is your favorite basketball player?
A: I am a Kobe Bryant fan. I love the way he plays, how hard he works, the way he wins. You can’t go wrong with that. I was going to try to play basketball at Indiana my freshman year, but I tore my groin. I had to sit the second half of my freshman year in football, so my hoops dreams ended.
Q: Dealing with a broken bone in your right foot, you ran 4.38 in the 40 at your pro day before the draft. How did you pull that off?
A: It was just about pain tolerance, knowing you have to go if you want to make it to the pros. I had a goal to reach. I had put in the work to do it, so it was now or never. I was ready to get out there. As long as I could run, I was doing it.
Q: What do you like most about pro football, and how are you spending your downtime?
A: The fans knowing who we are is the coolest part. And having great teammates. Everybody wants to win, has the same goal. I like to relax by going to movies, whatever is new. I like Denzel Washington. You have to say Denzel wins when talking about movies. Yes, I have seen “Remember the Titans.” Hasn’t everybody seen it?
Cody Latimer file
–Starred as a high school basketball player at Jefferson Township in Dayton, Ohio.
–Won state hoops title in his junior season, scoring 24 points with 12 rebounds in championship game.
–Started playing football his junior year of high school.
–Before going to Indiana University, had offers from Michigan State and Ball State to play defense.
–The 10th of 33 receivers selected in last year’s NFL draft.
–Bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times at his pro day.
–Orange one of his favorite colors. Wore an orange suit and orange shoes when met media after he was drafted.
–Made five catches for 116 yards and one touchdown in the preseason.
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