The NFL draft is over, but that doesn’t mean the Broncos are done adding to their roster. Undrafted college free agents can often be diamonds in the rough, as tailback Phillip Lindsay was a couple seasons ago.
Here’s a look at all the players Denver is set to sign to college free agent contracts. All of these players have agreed to terms, but none have signed contracts yet.
Hunter Watts, OT, Central Arkansas
Announced by the college’s athletic department and confirmed by a league source, Watts will join a Broncos’ offensive line room that didn’t add a tackle during the draft.
Listed at 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds, Watts is from San Antonio and was a two-year starter for the Bears. He was a first-team all-Southland Conference selection in 2018-19.
Zimari Manning, WR, Tarleton State
Confirmed by a league source, Manning is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, and grew up in Long Beach, Calif.
Manning played at Golden West College (Calif.) before transferring to Tarleton State, which is an FCS program in Stephenville, Texas.
In two years at Tarleton State, Manning played in 24 games and caught 112 passes for 2,409 yards (21.5-yard average) and 34 touchdowns.
As a senior, he had 68 catches for 1,462 yards and a single-season school record 22 touchdowns (tops nationally across all divisions) to be named first-team All-America. Included in 2019 were seven 100-yard games and eight multi-touchdown games.
Riley Neal, QB, Vanderbilt
Confirmed by a league source, Neal (6-foot-6/225 pounds) grew up in Yorktown, Ind., and will join Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien in the Broncos’ quarterback room.
Neal threw for 7,285 yards and 78 touchdowns in high school and attended Ball State for four years. He started 32 games (7,393 yards, 46 touchdowns and 25 interceptions), but sustained season-ending injuries in 2017-18.
As a graduate transfer in 2019 for Vanderbilt, Neal started 10 games, completing 149-of-258 passes for 1,585 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
Levante Bellamy, RB, Western Michigan
Confirmed by a league source, Bellamy went undrafted despite consecutive seasons of at least 1,200 yards rushing.
Listed at 5-foot-9/192 pounds, Bellamy grew up in Indianapolis. In 48 games (29 starts) over five years for the Broncos, he rushed 617 times for 3,720 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Bellamy, 23, missed all but three games in 2016 (ACL/ankle) and all but six games in ’17 (ankle).
As a senior, he rushed for a MAC-best 23 touchdowns (266 carries-1,472 yards) and was the league’s MVP.
Kendall Hinton, WR, Wake Forest
Confirmed by a league source, Hinton is a college teammate of Broncos sixth-round linebacker Justin Strnad.
Hinton (6-foot/195 pounds) grew up in Durham, N.C., and was a quarterback for Wake Forest until 2018. He started twice at quarterback as a true freshman (2015) and parts of 2016 (until a knee injury) and ‘17.
Hinton moved to receiver in 2018. As a fifth-year senior, he had 73 catches for 1,001 yards and four touchdowns. His 105.4-yard receiving average in ACC games was best in the league.
Essang Bassey, CB, Wake Forest
According to a league source, Bassey agreed to terms with the Broncos late Saturday night.
Listed at 5-9/193, Bassey played in 52 games for the Demon Deacons (40 starts), totaling 228 tackles, 50 pass break-ups and five interceptions.
Bassey, 21, was second-team All-ACC in 2018 (74 tackles) and third-team in ’19 (60 tackles).
Timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.46 seconds, Bassey is projected to work against slot receivers in the NFL.
Douglas Coleman III, S, Texas Tech
Confirmed by a league source, Coleman was a play-making mainstay in the Red Raider secondary over the past couple of seasons. He led Texas Tech with eight interceptions in 2019, a single-season mark tied for second all-time in school and conference history.
The 6-1, 200-pound safety also had 63 tackles and 10 passes defended. The Zachary, La., native was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award for the nation’s top defensive back and was a first-team All-Big-12 selection.
Coleman is versatile, having also played nickelback and true cornerback in his time at Texas Tech.
