Kyle Peko is poised to take over the backup nose tackle spot

The Denver Broncos have kept the nose tackle position in the family with Domata Peko Sr. and his younger cousin Kyle Peko.

Name: Kyle Peko
Position: Nose Tackle
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 305lbs
Age: 25
Experience: 3rd season
College: Oregon State

Peko is a third-year player out of Oregon State who has slowly secured more playing time. Nose tackles tend to develop a bit slower than most positions and Peko seems poised to take the next step in that process in 2018.

The Good

He is learning from one of the best in the business in Domata Peko and it helps that he will be surrounded by one of the best defensive units in the NFL. While he graded out below average in both pass rush and run stopping last season, that isn’t a huge surprising being he played a significant amount of snaps for the first time down the stretch in 2017.

The Bad

Peko is still young at 25 years old and could still be a year or so away from challenging for serious playing time at nose tackle. He was promoted and cut from the active roster several times last season, so there are no guarantees he’ll make the team in 2018. He will need to have a solid camp to be in play for the final 53-man roster cut.

Quotable

Back in March during the NFL’s league meetings, Vance Joseph took the opportunity to mention Kyle Peko specifically when asked about the defensive line.

“Kyle Peko came on last year and played very well for us,” Joseph said. “I was excited about Kyle. It’s a good group. That group last year was our most consistent group, in my opinion, as far as playing week-to-week. They played well every week.”

Status

Kyle Peko is very much in play for the backup spot behind his older cousin, 13-year veteran Domata Peko Sr. The two are currently the only two players listed as nose tackles on the roster, so that should seriously help his chances of making the final 53-man roster. Although Zach Kerr could be at play for Peko’s spot despite being listed as a defensive end.