We had a chance to talk with a rabid Oregon Ducks fan and blogger for Addicted to Quack, Joseph Yun, last week after the Denver Broncos had drafted Oregon edge rusher, Justin Hollins, in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft to talk about how he might fit on the team and potentially develop into a regular contributor on defense.
Hollins has a unique athletic skillset. He would need a lot of good coaching to bring his technique up to speed to play regularly in the NFL, but that’s exactly what you’d expect to get from a late round pick.
Yun confirmed much of what pundits noted of Hollins’ strengths and weaknesses as a player, but he felt it was his intangibles that will translate well at the NFL level. Hollins is a hard working player who can continue to develop under the right kind of coaching. What better coaching than the reigning Defensive Assistant of the Year? What better situation than to learn from Von Miller and Bradley Chubb?
Hollins himself noted how special this opportunity is for him, saying, “It feels great being under the wing of those great players. You got Von Miller, he’s a potential Hall-of-Famer—in most eyes, he is a Hall-of-Famer already. Being able to learn from those guys is going to elevate my game. It’s just impressive.”
The more I look at the Hollins pick, the more I like the situation. The Broncos lost both Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett to free agency, which means they need some depth at that position to help keep their two star edge rushers fresh for an entire game. Hollins could very well become just that and more.