The NFL draft starts Thursday, and it seems safe to assume the Denver Broncos aren’t looking at WR until Day 3 — if at all. So when the team unveils their WR depth chart, former second-round pick K.J. Hamler will likely be slotted as the No. 4 option.
It’s a good problem to have for the Denver Broncos. But QB Russell Wilson may have trouble divvying targets between the likes of Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and Hamler. Can’t forget about breakout candidates TE Albert Okwuegbunam and RB Javonte Williams, either.
Good thing for Wilson, Hamler, as a deep threat, won’t command an alpha’s share of the targets. What he will do is take the top off the defense when Wilson goes deep and clear out defenders on routes for his intermediate and short route running counterparts. In Seattle, Tyler Lockett played this role for Wilson. And while rehabbing his torn ACL, Hamler reached out to Lockett to be better prepared for next season, his first with Wilson.
“I’ve just been picking his brain, like, ‘How does Russ handle these situations?’,” Hamler told The Athletic‘s Nick Kosmider (subscription required for link). “It’s being a sponge, absorbing knowledge from two Pro Bowl guys. I put on Tyler’s film and I’m like, ‘OK, he did this and he did that.’ And then it’s, ‘OK, I can do all this.’ I’ve just got to go out there and play and get back on the field.'”
Hamler’s off to a good start in his rehab and embracement of his potential role, if healthy, with the newly-acquired Wilson. The duo worked out last month in San Diego. Check it out below.
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