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A Bronco for the Broncos:
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Former Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady made history Saturday after being selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. After being selected No. 12 overall, Clady became the highest BSU draftee in school history.
“Being drafted in the first round is a terrific thing,” Clady said in a conference call Saturday. “I should be able to make an immediate impact right away.”
Clady’s potential for being an immediate impact player was one of his biggest selling points for the Broncos. Denver had expressed a desire to add depth to its offensive line, so Clady’s selection came as no real surprise.
“I don’t think we really surprised anybody by taking an offensive tackle,” Denver Head Coach Mike Shanahan said. “We had Ryan Clady in here for a couple of days, and we were really impressed with him as a person.
[He is] obviously a left tackle that we think is an excellent athlete that will fit into our scheme extremely well.
We felt very fortunate that he was there.”
After the selection, Clady expressed excitement about starting his professional career in Denver.
“I have been saying for the past few weeks that it would be nice to still be a Bronco,” Clady said.
Shanahan said the Broncos’ organization has been very impressed with Clady so far, on and off the field.
“You obviously go through everything [in evaluating a player],” Shanahan said. “You go through football; you sit down with him and get a feel for what type of guy he is. You get an idea of how he reacts to certain situations, how he understands pass protections, running schemes. [He is] a guy that was very impressive.”
Clady was just the second offensive lineman picked in this year’s draft. Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long was selected No. 1 overall by the Miami Dolphins.
“There are a lot of different directions you could go because you’re not really sure what’s going to happen,” Shanahan said about whether or not the Broncos planned on drafting a tackle, regardless if Clady was available or not. “We could have had our three top tackles off the board and we would have went in a different direction. But we had three guys in there that we felt were legitimate left tackles that could play, and play well.”
Concerning immediate playing time, Clady’s path to a starting spot could be a quick one.
“He will start at left offensive tackle the day he comes in,” Shanahan said. “There will be some competition, obviously. We’ve got Ryan Harris that can play both sides. We’ve got [Chris] Kuper that can play inside and outside. So we have a little more depth at the offensive line position.”
Clady said he is welcoming the challenge and expects to take lumps like any other rookie entering the league.
“Right away, I just want to learn the system,” Clady said. “I want to play well and I want to be a starter. Everyone wants to be a Pro-Bowler and to win a couple Super Bowls. It is definitely a hard position to play, but I am ready to go and I am up for the challenge.”
Scandrick goes to Dallas
Clady wasn’t the only former BSU player selected in the NFL draft this past weekend. Cornerback Orlando Scandrick became the 143 player selected in the draft with the Dallas Cowboys taking him with their eighth pick in the fifth round.
Scandrick, like Clady, opted to forego his senior season at BSU in pursuit of a professional career. Scandrick was the 25th cornerback selected in this year’s draft and the second cornerback picked from the Western Athletic Conference. San Jose State’s Dwight Lowery was taken by the New York Jets midway through the fourth round.
JAKE GARCIN
Sports Editor
