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According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Denver Broncos have signed their second-round pick, offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo to his rookie contract.
#Broncos have signed second round pick Ty Sambrailo
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) May 15, 2015
The Denver Broncos selected former Colorado State offensive lineman in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. In 2014, Sambrailo was selected to the first-team All-Mountain West while starting 11 games at left tackle.
The Broncos were expected to address the offensive line in the early portion of the draft. They had holes at right tackle and guard, so they selected the very athletic Sambrailo in the second round. General Manager John Elway mentions Sambrailo's "tremendous athleticism", and his intelligence as some of the reasons why the selected him.
We’re really excited that he’s on our football team. He’s going to come in right away and compete at the right tackle position. He is a guy on the field who is a tremendous athlete and, as Gary said last night, he’s a quick study.
Sambrailo is expected to compete with veteran Chris Clark and last year's third-round pick Michael Schofield for the right tackle position. Elway continues to mention that Sambrailo will compete at right tackle, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him get some time at left guard during camp.
Joining the Broncos offensive line means that Sambrailo will be expected to help protect future Hall Of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. He says that there's no other quarterback that he would rather protect than Peyton Manning.
"I think coming in, there is no person I would rather protect. He’s a great teacher from what I’ve heard, and being a rookie coming into the system like this, you’re going to want someone like him to teach you how to do it and how to do it right. Just having the opportunity to protect a future Hall of Famer is unbelievable, and I’m looking forward to it."
Sambrailo fits Gary Kubiak's zone-blocking scheme very well, and I expect him to earn a start position somewhere along the offensive line. I'm hoping he can come in and help protect Peyton Manning, and open up running lane for C.J. Anderson this season.