Albert Okwuegbunam played with quarterback Drew Lock from 2017-2018 at Missouri, catching 72 passes for 881 yards and 17 touchdowns during that time.
After being selected by the Broncos in the fourth round of this year’s NFL draft, Okwuegbunam will be reuniting with Lock as a pro.
“It’s awesome,” Okwuegbunam said during a conference call with reporters on April 25. “I can’t even explain how fired up I am to get in this new offense. Just to have that kind of chemistry and trust and confidence already established there . . . that’s awesome. Just to have that gel, have that confidence, it’s going to be great. I’m excited to see how it all unfolds.”
Lock’s previous experience with Okwuegbunam could lead to early success in the NFL for the young tight end. At Missouri, Lock looked Okwuegbunam’s way in crucial situations.
“Off the field, we’re brothers,” Okwuegbunam said of his relationship with Lock. “We get along great and I think that really just translated onto the field. Being with him in Missouri, I just felt like a lot of the times in tough situations, I was the guy that he always felt comfortable with just knowing that he always had an open throw in me, regardless of the situation.”
Okwuegbunam will be joining an offense that now includes Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Noah Fant, Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay. Lock will have plenty of weapons to throw to but only one of them has two years of experience working with the young quarterback.
“If we needed a big play [in college], his eyes [were] coming to me,” Okwuegbunam said. “Just the amount of confidence he had in me, just coming out of routes I feel like we’re always on the same page. I feel like all across the board just that chemistry is there.”
That established chemistry can only mean good things for Denver.
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