After being picked by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of this year’s NFL draft out of Missouri, cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine was inactive for the team’s first 12 games of his rookie campaign.
Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 13, with cornerback Riley Moss (knee) sidelined, Abrams-Draine made Denver’s game-day roster for the first time this season. Levi Wallace started in the place of Moss but he struggled and was benched late in the game in favor of Abrams-Draine.
The rookie cornerback was penalized in his brief appearance, but the call was disputed, and Abrams-Draine turned in an impressive overall performance.
“Good,” Broncos coach sean Payton said Monday when asked about the cornerback’s NFL debut. “He’s smart. He has a savviness to him. I think he’s getting stronger physically.
“I thought he handled his role [well] Monday night, going in there and playing. I thought he had a pretty good game in the kicking game. That’s important. So overall, I was pleased.”
Abrams-Draine played 12 snaps on defense and 12 snaps on special teams, ending the game with one tackle. If Moss also misses Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Abrams-Draine leapfrog Wallace on the depth chart.
