Tag: jack colletto

State of the Roster: Fullbacks more interesting than usual for 49ers

Our State of the Roster series is back with a very quick look at a sparse, but intriguing fullback room:

With 49ers OTAs in full swing, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the team’s roster to figure out the strengths, weaknesses, potential dark horses to make the team and other nuggets about the players who will be competing for jobs on the 53-man roster.

There’s not much guesswork with the 49ers when it comes to the fullback position. Kyle Juszczyk has manned that spot since Kyle Shanahan arrived in 2017, and he figures to man that spot until he decides he doesn’t want to anymore.

San Francisco has had additional fullbacks in camp, though they’re always undrafted free agents. That’s the case again this year, although their UDFA fullback comes with some added intrigue.

Ultimately the 49ers are only going to roster one fullback and if they need help at the position they’ll turn to someone on the roster who can replicate at least some of what Juszczyk provides.

Let’s take a quick look at the two FBs on the 49ers’ 90-man roster:

Broncos missed out on 2 undrafted free agents

Jack Colletto signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent. David Durden picked the Cowboys over the Broncos.

The Denver Broncos seem to be done (or nearly done) with their undrafted free agent signings, and there are two notable omissions.

The first is West Florida (Division II) wide receiver David Durden, who had a top-30 visit with the Broncos ahead of the draft. Denver attempted to sign Durden after he went undrafted, but the receiver chose to sign with the Dallas Cowboys instead.

The second UDFA that some Broncos fans might be disappointed to miss out on is Oregon State do-everything prospect Jack Colletto. The QB/FB/TE/LB also had a top-30 visit to Denver’s facility before the draft and he’s drawn comparisons to Taysom Hill, which led many to believe he would draw interest from coach Sean Payton.

Colletto ultimately decided to sign with the San Francisco 49ers.

Perhaps also of note — running backs Sean Tucker and Keaton Mitchell, who both met with the Broncos before the draft, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens, respectively.

With those running backs off the UDFA board, Denver signed Fort Valley State’s Emmanuel Wilson. He becomes the sixth RB on the depth chart, joining Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, Tony Jones, Damarea Crockett and Tyler Badie.

We are tracking all of the team’s UDFA signings on Broncos Wire.

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Peter King thinks QB Aidan O’Connell could be a late-round target for Broncos

Peter King thinks Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell could be a late-round target for the Broncos this weekend.

NBC’s Peter King has made two predictions about the Denver Broncos’ plans for the 2023 NFL draft.

First, King predicted Denver will not trade a wide receiver during the draft. After that, he named a potential late-round quarterback the Broncos could consider on Saturday.

“The Broncos pick 67 and 68 to start,” King wrote on Monday. “I don’t expect them to trade a receiver, and I do expect them, on day three, to sniff around Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell.”

O’Connell (6-3, 213 pounds) completed 64.1% of his passes for 3,490 yards and 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 12 games last fall. Denver already has Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team add another QB to give Jarrett Guarantano competition for QB3 duties.

Drew Brees, who played under Payton with the New Orleans Saints, was a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year at Purdue and he returned to his alma mater last winter to serve as an interim assistant coach with the Boilermakers.

Payton and Brees still have a close relationship, so Denver potentially having interest in O’Connell might be influenced at least in part by Brees’ knowledge of the school’s program and players.

Two other QBs, Oregon State’s Jack Colletto and Penn State’s Sean Clifford, will also be late-round prospects to keep an eye on this weekend.

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10 potential UDFAs Broncos could target after the NFL draft

Here’s a quick list of 10 potential undrafted free agents the Broncos could consider after the NFL draft.

The Denver Broncos only have five picks to use in the NFL draft this year, so barring any trades that add more picks, Denver will have room to sign 13 undrafted free agents following the draft next weekend.

The Broncos have a great history of landing UDFA gems, including wide receiver Rod Smith and cornerback Chris Harris. Last year, Denver signed 13 UDFAs, including wide receivers Jalen Virgil and Brandon Johnson.

It’s impossible to know for sure which prospects will go undrafted this year, but we have put together a list of 10 potential UDFAs that the Broncos could consider late in the draft or potentially immediately after the draft.

Here’s a quick list of 10 names to watch for as potential UDFA targets.

Broncos host do-everything draft prospect Jack Colletto on top-30 visit

Jack Colletto can play QB, FB, TE, LB and special teams. Sound familiar? The Broncos’ draft prospect has drawn comparisons to Taysom Hill.

The Denver Broncos recently hosted do-everything draft prospect Jack Colletto on a top-30 visit, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. NFL teams are allowed to host up to 30 prospects at their facility leading up to the draft each spring.

Colletto (6-3, 239 pounds) is an extremely versatile player who spent time at quarterback, inside linebacker and fullback while playing at Oregon State. Nicknamed the “Jackhammer,” Colletto was also a key player on special teams for the Beavers. In addition to those positions, he also worked out as a tight end at Oregon State’s pro day.

Sound familiar?

At the Shrine Bowl earlier this year, Colletto compared himself to Taysom Hill and Kyle Juszczyk. Colletto won the Paul Hornung Award as a redshirt senior last season. The award recognizes college football’s most versatile players.

Hill played under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints from 2017-2021. Perhaps one of the most versatile players in the NFL, Hill has spent time at quarterback, fullback and tight end with the Saints, and he is a key player on special teams.

Colletto is projected to be an undrafted free agent prospect this spring. He rushed for 425 yards and 22 touchdowns and totaled 50 tackles in college. If he ends up joining the Broncos, Colletto could be a candidate to have a role in Denver’s offense similar to Hill’s in New Orleans.

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5 Beavers to watch for if Oregon wants to leave Corvallis victorious

Oregon has a lot of the line on Saturday and if the Ducks want to go to Vegas, they’ll have to hold down these five Beavers.

Oregon State is 8-3 and ranked No. 22 in the country.

This was a bit unexpected, but when both teams are good, it makes for an even better rivalry. Oregon goes up to Corvallis this Saturday to finish out the regular season and there’s plenty on the line other than state pride.

With a win, the Ducks will reach the 10-win mark in Dan Lanning’s first season as head coach and earn a trip to Las Vegas to play No. 5 USC for the Pac-12 championship.

But in order to secure a matchup with the Trojans, the Ducks will have to pay close attention to these five Beavers. There’s nothing Oregon State would love more than to spoil the Ducks’ conference title hopes and they won’t go down without a fight. It’ll be a war on the gridiron. It’ll be a civil war of sorts.