**Transcript provided by Denver Broncos P.R. Staff**
Denver Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels
Opening Statement
"It's been obviously, a busy day for us today and a very productive day. We were able to get two players who we thought could really come in here and contribute. We know what we're going to get from them - hard work. They're both obviously talented players and we're excited about what they may be able to bring here to the Broncos. I think the draft is almost over tonight but there's still a lot to go here this weekend and we look forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow. We're excited about adding another third-round draft pick with the different trades we were able to make today. We'll look to be aggressive again tomorrow and see what we can do to improve our football team."
On the team's plans for Broncos first-round draft pick (No. 25 overall) Tim Tebow
"Everybody that we evaluate and grade, obviously we put a grade on them - but that does not prohibit them from doing anything. Both players that we drafted today and every player that we draft this weekend is going to have an opportunity to contribute in any way that they can by determining their own role. We tell all our players that: Veterans, rookies, college free agents - doesn't matter what it is - unrestricted free agents, when we sign them...They determine their role by what they do on our football team. We're going to have a lot of days to evaluate their performance and evaluate how it is going to fit with our team. They'll be given the same opportunities as the rest of our roster and they'll make their own roles. Obviously we feel good about their ability to come in here and compete at those two positions and make those groups and those players at those positions better. We've tried to do that this entire offseason and free agency at every spot that we could. Adding players to make the positions more competitive, deeper and add depth. Most of it happened to be on defense but that's our goal when we bring a player here."
On whether Tebow was a value or a need-based pick
"I think it's a good pick, I wouldn't call it either one. The player obviously has all the traits that you're looking for in terms of toughness and competitiveness. He's intelligent and he's won a lot of games. He's a leader, he works hard and he's got all the intangibles that you look for in a player at that position. He's produced a lot of numbers and statistically - I'm not even going to talk about that because he's one of the best in a long, long time. We need that player in that position to be a good player, a real good player. If we can make him a special player, that's what we're looking for. Now we have a deep group of quarterbacks and we expect the competition to be incredible. It hasn't changed anything in terms of our depth chart right now. We're looking for that position to be the best player on our team if we can make it that way. Competition is only going to make each one of those players better and that's what we expect him to come in and provide us with."
On whether Tebow's style fits the Broncos' system
"We stole a lot of (University of Florida's) plays maybe three or four years ago. They run a lot of different things. They ask their quarterback to do a lot. No college quarterback - or very few I should say - have run or done what we're going to do, or what other NFL teams do necessarily, because the game has spread out so much. There are so many different things going on right now in the college football game that maybe you don't see in the professional football league. What Tim has been asked to do - mentally, there is a lot of burden on him - same thing here. What he's been asked to do in terms of reading defenses and progressions and those types of things is similar to what he'll have to do in the National Football League. He's been well coached - I have a great deal of respect for (University of Florida Head) Coach (Urban) Meyer. I have a good relationship with (Meyer), known him for a long time and understand what (Tebow) has had to do and what he's had to learn. I don't really look at it and say, ‘His system doesn't fit our system.' No quarterback's does. I'm not really worried too much about it, I just know what he's been asked to do and what he's been able to accomplish in that system there. I won't deny that he doesn't give you an opportunity to create some un-gameplanned production, similar to (Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback) Ben Roethlisberger, or a (Washington Redskins quarterback) Donovan McNabb or someone like that where you draw the play up there on the board and all of the sudden it doesn't necessarily look as pretty as I thought it would but then he makes it work some other way - there is an element to his game like that."
On whether players' characters impacted the Broncos' draft strategy
"I would say this, (Oklahoma State WR) Dez Bryant was on our board and I'll stick with what I said (Friday). We liked Demaryius Thomas and had him graded highly the entire spring and he was higher than Dez Bryant, at the same level or however you want to see it. He's a player that has some unique traits and unique skills. He's a smart kid, we spent a lot of time with him - I spent a lot of time with him personally. He understands our system, our offense and what we've asked our receivers to learn. I think that's a thing that he can process and allows him to get on the field and contribute to our team. They're both big, they're both fast, they can catch the ball and have a high average per reception. He's played in a league with a lot of competition so we're excited about Demaryius being on our football team. It certainly gives us the opportunity to have a bigger wide receiver that can do some different things, create some matchup problems and I think that's something that you're looking for now."
On whether the Broncos gave up too much to move up in the first round
"Not at all. Like I said, we felt very good about the player and had we waited too long we would have lost that opportunity, there's no question about that - there were a lot of people interested. I think the longer you wait the more chances you take with any player. That position on our team, that player has to be at the top of our charts and we want that player to be a great player. He's got to lead our team, he's got to make every player in the locker room better and he has to make our team better. That's what a quarterback needs to do in this league and we want the competition that we provide in that spot to make all of those players better. There's nothing better to try to improve everyone's performance than to bring people there who can compete with them. That's what we did with (first-round selection) Tim (Tebow), that's what we did with (Broncos quarterback) Brady (Quinn) and (Broncos quarterback) Kyle (Orton) has obviously been here. Tom (Brandstater) has been working his butt off in the offseason program too. We have a competitive situation at, to me, the most important position and we expect that to make all of them better."
On how quickly Tebow can be a starting quarterback in the NFL and what his immediate role may be
"The answer of the starter and all that is going to be determined by what they do. They're all going to learn the same things, be given the same opportunity. Our starting quarterback is Kyle Orton. If somebody performs better than Kyle Orton then that's going to have to change but right now it hasn't and we'll see what happens as we move forward. Tim is a player who is capable of doing different things. He could be a gameplan-type thing if that's what we determine is best early in his career. He's done a lot of things in his career, running the football and doing different things in terms of handling the football. He's a guy that gives you the opportunity to create some packages like that and if you want to use that then you can get creative. There's no mystery about the Wildcat (offense) becoming more in vogue and having a player who may be able to do both run and pass the ball gives you another option."
On how both of Denver's first-round selections fit the team's goals
"We want players who are tough, smart, have great character, love football and are passionate about coming here and helping the Broncos win a championship. I think both players fit that role and I think that's something that we're looking for in all of our players. What we're trying to build here is team chemistry and a team that cares about winning and winning a championship and that's it. That's the single goal that we all have in mind. I think that bringing in guys that share that vision and share that belief is what's most important. I think we've added two players to our team tonight that will help us go out after that goal."
On whether most of the trades were made in the moment or were premeditated
"Some of them, you discuss things leading up to the draft, certainly there's no question about that. Most of ours were either right when we were on the clock or arraigned slightly prior to us being on the clock - or in the case of us trading into someone else's slot right before they were on the clock. ‘Will you take this for that to move up if you're guy isn't there?' ‘Yeah I will,' ‘OK well I'll call you when we're on the clock,' that kind of thing, that's kind of how it went. We knew we had some flexibility to try to move back. We had some players that we knew that we liked. Demaryius certainly was the high priority at that point and we moved back and felt like we had an opportunity. At some point we were slightly concerned that teams might have some action in that spot, the 22, 23, 24 spot so that's when we went from 24 to 22 with New England.
On whether the second trade was already lined up when Denver made its selection of Georgia Tech WR Demaryius Thomas at No. 22 overall
"No we did not. It was close, but that was kind of the thought process going into it...Once we made our first selection, let's see what the conversations can lead us to. We didn't have anything imminent or even planned at that time."
On whether Oakland's selection of Alabama LB Rolando McClain at No. 8 overall impacted the Broncos' draft
"No, they got a good player that we're going to have to play a lot. They got a good player but no that did not impact us."
WR DEMARYIUS THOMAS, GEORGIA TECH (RD. 1, 22nd OVERALL)
On His Workout Last Week and the Broncos' Interest in Him
"I don't think that they were there (at the workout). I didn't think that they had any interest in me until Monday when I met with the head coach and the G.M. Basically, that was it."
On Playing with QB Tim Tebow
"Tim Tebow is a good guy and is a good player, also. I'll be looking forward to that when I come to Denver."
On His Foot Injury Before the NFL Combine
"It was very emotional. I was actually going through drills getting ready for the Combine, I was going like 65 percent. I landed on my foot and it just popped. I got surgery about three days later, started doing rehab two weeks later and I'm like 90 percent now and feeling very well."
On His Character
"Basically, when I was coming up, my mother and my grandmother got put in prison and I always told myself that I didn't want to get into a position to get myself into no trouble. So, I've always been around the right crowd... Once I did that, everything changed in my life. I always wanted to be around the right crowd and didn't want to get in no trouble. I didn't want to be that guy that is always talked about that he's a bad guy and so, I just put myself around the right crowd."
On How He Fits with the Broncos
"I think that I'll fit well... I'm a playmaker. I make plays and I know how to run routes..."
On Being Compared to WR Brandon Marshall
"We're both big guys, probably the same speed, very complete receivers. I think that he has a little more experience than I have. I'm looking to come in and borrow stuff from the guys that are already there so I can be a specialist like Brandon Marshall was on offense."
On His Experience at the Draft
"It was fun here. When I was invited, I was shocked. Because I figured there were a lot of stars here... When I broke my foot, everything just changed and I was basically scared, but I was like, ‘I'll come down.' Because my mom's in prison and she wanted me to come down and have fun. So, I came and it paid off."
QB TIM TEBOW, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA (RD. 1, 25th OVERALL)
On if he had an inkling that the Broncos were going to draft him
"It all started at the combine. I had an opportunity to do an interview with their staff and I left thinking ‘Gosh I love those guys, I love Coach McDaniels. He's so passionate, he loves football.' After that they didn't come to the Pro day and I didn't hear from them and I thought, ‘Man, are they not interested?' But then at the end they called me up and so I came up and I did a work out for them and I thought that went really good and we thought they liked me and were very straightforward the whole time and said that they were interested in me. So we prepared as thought I was their draft pick. So we had the hats ready and when Coach McDaniels called we pulled them out and we're wearing our pride right now."
On how he dealt with criticism of his throwing mechanics
"A lot of people said it was going to be a hard process or a long process and that it was going to be very frustrating for me but I loved it and I enjoyed the working process. All the critics and negativity only pushed me that much more and made me work that much harder and made me better. I think that was a positive thing for me, to be honest with you. I believed in myself and the people that were around me and supporting me. I thank my quarterback coaches for the work that they put in and trying to constantly get better. Not only get better but show that I was coachable, to be humble and learn to do what someone says and I think that is something that I tried to show and I think I showed that to Coach McDaniels and the staff there."
On how long he thinks it will take for him to start in the Broncos' system
"I have no idea. That's not even something that I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about just going in there and learning the offense, competing, working hard and just being the first one in and the last one to leave. And showing them that I love this, I love what I do and thank you so much for taking me and I'm not going to let you down."
On what number he plans to wear (possibly 15?)
"To be honest, I will wear whatever number they want me to wear. If that's 15, I'll wear 15. If that's 95, I'll wear 95. I don't really care, just as long as I can wear a Denver Broncos jersey. That's my approach and my attitude."
On Josh McDaniels taking a chance on him
"I definitely want to repay Coach McDaniels for the faith he showed in me. I want to be a great quarterback, I want to pursue that. I've wanted to be a quarterback in the NFL for a great many years. That's my goal and has been my goal since I was 6 years old. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get there. I'm thankful to Coach McDaniels for having the strength and the voice in me, to choose me and to believe in me. I'm just thankful for that and obviously I do, for the next few years, repay him for what he did for me and believing in me. Just like it was when I was at Florida, my biggest thrill was doing things for Coach Meyer, winning championships and being able to help him. That's going to be my greatest joy in Denver is going to be to repay Coach McDaniels for believing in me. That's something that's always been very important to me, is my relationship with coaches. Our connection means more to me than anything else."
On His service work off the field and how he will balance that with football
"I want to do a lot because I honestly feel that that is more important than playing football. Being able to make a difference and put smiles on kids' faces. I'm excited about the opportunity but I probably won't do that much right now because this whole summer I'm going to be in the film room and in the meeting room, learning, working and grinding. I'll probably start that after my rookie year. I do have my foundation up and running, the good thing about that is that my brother and other members of my family can really help out and run that while I get to working on football."