The Denver Broncos selected S Rahim Moore form UCLA with the 45th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. One pick later, the Broncos selected OL Orlando Franklin from Miami with the 46th pick. Both players took time to speak with the media after their selections:
S RAHIM MOORE
On being a Denver Bronco
"First of all it's a blessing. I feel thankful. I thank God I met with the Broncos at the Combine. It's been one of my favorite teams after watching (CB) Champ Bailey and being a big-time fan of him. It's truly a blessing. I'm so excited."
On learning from S Brian Dawkins
"I can't wait. I look forward to the time that I'll be there because I know he's getting older. I wish I could meet him professionally where he could never age and me and him could play for several years. I'm excited to learn from a hall of famer and Champ Bailey. These guys are my favorite-Champ and BD-ever. You know, I even have a picture of them on my phone and my laptop. I'm a huge fan. I can't wait to get hooked up with them and get to work."
On whether he expected being picked by the Broncos
"I was confident at the Combine I was a possible pick, but when I woke up I knew I was going to be a Bronco. I just felt it; I knew what they needed. I'm excited; I can't wait."
On receiving a Broncos helmet in NYC
"They gave it to me. Shannon Sharpe signed it, and I'm excited. It's a blessing. It's funny, I was talking to Shannon before and I just said it's been an honor to meet you and I got to go up on stage and meet him again. It's a great feeling."
On what he brings to his position
"I understand the game. I put in work. The coaches around me are able to prep me and I can't wait to get around Brain Dawkins and Champ."
On receiving the call
"I couldn't even hear. I knew it was Denver, but I thought it was the Denver Nuggets (laughing). It was Coach (John) Fox. John Elway got on the phone."
On the 2011 Broncos draft class
"Defense wins championships...Von Miller is a big-time talent. He has every little bit of a second (overall) pick you can think of. He's just that type of guy. I can't wait to make plays on the field with him."
On his statistics dropping from 10 interceptions his junior year to one his senior year
"There are a lot of people staying away from me. I have that respect where people don't want to throw over me. There were those games where it wouldn't come my way at all. I learned a lot from that. Overall, I made more tackles and other plays than I ever did. So that's the reason for that. It wasn't a lack of play-making ability. It was just one of those years where they stayed away from you. They knew all about you through the whole off season."
On his draft experience in NYC
"I knew I wasn't going to be a first-round draft pick, which is fine because I never planned to be one. I knew my range; I knew what I was going to be coming out of college. The overall experience has been spectacular. Today I feel like I went No. 1 overall. I'm so excited. I can't wait to get to work and get to Denver."
OFFENSIVE TACKLE ORLANDO FRANKLIN
On his draft-day experience and prior contact with the Broncos
"I knew they were interested in me but I didn't know they were going to pick me. I visited with a whole bunch of teams and they were one of the teams that I didn't visit with. I was just excited."
On his knee
"It is feeling real good. I feel like I am ready to go and ready to contribute right away."
On what position Broncos coaches have told him that he will play
"They told me they see me playing right tackle."
On his on-field demeanor
"I like to think of myself as the most physical offensive lineman that was in this draft, and I am looking forward to bringing that nature to the Denver Broncos."
On transitioning from guard to offensive tackle
"I don't think it will be that big of a deal because we played a lot of tackle-over stuff at the University of Miami and when we went tackle-over, I was going with the tackle."
On how playing guard will help him transition to tackle
"It just shows teams that I can play any position that they want me to play. I could plug in and be effective right away at almost any position."
On the difficulty of getting noticed as a football player in Toronto
"It was real hard in Toronto. I think that if I never moved from Toronto that I wouldn't be in the position that I am in today. Once I got to the (United States) it was not real hard because I got a lot of opportunities to play really early and I got on the field and got recruited by a bunch of teams"
On his Jamaican roots
"I remember some things about Jamaica because we go back every year. My mom always made us go back to Jamaica. I do not remember (Jamaica) when I was born there because I was so young and I left at such a young age."
On describing himself
"I am a physical player that is going to do whatever he can to get on the field as quick as possible and that is going to work hard for 60 minutes and bust my behind to make everyone around me better."