With the 2019 NFL draft just one week away, teams are wrapping up visits and rumors about player interest are off the charts. We’ve reached the point of the offseason that’s filled with smoke screens, as Broncos coach Vic Fangio confirmed earlier this offseason.
During a press conference on April 9, defensive end Derek Wolfe described what a pre-draft experience can be like for a prospect.
“It’s just a big game that they play,” Wolfe said of pre-draft visits. “It’s just like, ‘I’m going to show interest in this guy just to get this team to think…’ You’re just playing a game. Listen, we’re just commodities in a business. Going through the draft process, every day everybody tries to make you feel special like you’re the next greatest thing.
“That’s just the start of it. Once you get drafted, that’s when the real work has to start. I never even talked to the Broncos. I didn’t even have a single meeting with the Broncos. Every team I thought I was going to go to, they just went the complete opposite direction.”
After being passed over by the teams he thought had interest in him in 2012, Wolfe received a call from Broncos general manager John Elway.
“I’m like, ‘Alright, cool. I guess I’m going to Denver,'” Wolfe said. “I had no clue I was going to come here. I’m glad I did. I have a lot of great memories here. I hope I can create some more.”
It’s worth noting that not every prospect the Broncos had in for a visit is under serious consideration. And just because a prospect didn’t visit the team doesn’t mean he’s been ruled out. Anything can happen.
