Five things you might not know about Justin Hollins

The Broncos picked Oregon linebacker Justin Hollins in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Hollins primarily played 3-4 outside linebacker in college, so Denver’s decision to bring him in makes sense given the departures of Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett. But the Broncos are also giving Hollins a look at inside linebacker, a surprise that comes in the wake of Denver not adding any other notable players to the postion this offseason.

Here are five things you might not know about Justin Hollins:

He played with Myles Garrett in high school

Hollins grew up in Arlington, Texas. He began his high school career at Grace Preparatory Academy but transferred to James Martin High School for his senior year. He started at weak side defensive end, across from former Cleveland Browns first-overall pick Myles Garrett.

“At Martin, it was more competitive than it was at Grace Prep, so it kind of prepared me more for what I’ve seen [at Oregon],” Hollins said in a Q&A with the Star-Telegram.

Hollins was also a track star in high school. Despite standing 6-foot-5 and weighing just over 200 pounds, the defensive end ran a 10.88 100-meter dash.

“He’s a freak of nature,” Ducks linebacker Troy Dye told NBC Sports Northwest. “He is super athletic, big, strong, physical, fast. He’s everything you want in an outside linebacker and then some.”

Former Bronco running back Justin Forsett and former Nugget point guard Emmanuel Mudiay also attended Grace Prep.

Oregon was his dream school

Despite living in Big XII country, Hollins snuck into the Pac-12. He was a three-star recruit and received offers from top schools in the Big XII, Big-10 and SEC before choosing to play for the Ducks.

“Growing up, I always wanted to be a Duck,” Hollins said via the Oregon Football Instagram account.“It was one of my dream schools actually. Growing up I always watched them, and I feel like that symbol, that ‘O,’ it means everything to me.”

He’s a smart football player

At every level, coaches have heralded Hollins’ feel for the game.

“Justin can do a lot of things,” Oregon outside linebacker coach Cort Dennison told the Daily Emerald.“He can align to the field, he can align to the boundary. He’s got a very high football IQ. He knows the defense in and out. He is a player that can do multiple things.”

Each week at Oregon, Hollins asked co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Joe Salva’e about why he called different coverages in different situations and when to use specific techniques. That’s why Salva’e believes Hollins was so successful.

“He’s literally a student of the game, such a conscientious kid,” Salva’e told NBC Sports Northwest.

Hollins’ football IQ will be put to the test in Denver, where he’s being asked to learn a second position.

At 6-foot-5, Hollins would be a monster in the middle of the Broncos’ defense, dwarfing the league’s elite at the position. Luke Kuechly is 6-foot-3, Kwon Alexander and Roquan Smith are 6-foot-1, and Bobby Wagner is listed at 6-feet even.

So far, Hollins appears to have the physical traits to play the position. The question is whether he can learn to perform a new, more complicated job at an NFL level.

“As an inside linebacker, you have to see where the back is,” Hollins said after a rookie minicamp practice. “You have to know what the guard does on the snap of the ball. You have to key people. There’s just a lot more going on on the inside than there is on the outside.”

He was the MVP of the Shrine Game

After his senior year, Hollins earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game, which pulls standouts from around the country together for a week of practices leading up to a game.

Hollins was one of the stars.

In the game, he made 10 tackles, including four for loss, and notched two sacks on his way to Defensive MVP honors.

.@oregonfootball's Justin Hollins goes up-and-under for the SACK 😯

📺: @Shrine_Game live on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/a2wSnxMa2A

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 19, 2019

He’s one of ESPN’s instant-impact rookies

After the draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. picked 15 players out of the rookie class who he thought could be “instant-impact” players in the NFL. Two Broncos made the list, tight end Noah Fant and Hollins.

This is what Kiper had to say about Hollins:

“New coach Vic Fangio has taken over a 3-4 Broncos defense led by outside linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, but the roster isn’t loaded with talent. Denver has to get help spelling Miller and Chubb. That’s where Hollins, who forced six fumbles and had 14.5 tackles for loss last season, comes in. At 6-foot-4, he is still growing into his frame, but he should get some snaps to get after quarterbacks as a rookie.”

Kiper’s analysis ignores Hollins’ potential to contribute from the middle of the defense – and lists him an inch shorter than his official combine height – but the positive national narrative surrounding Hollins should provide hope to Broncos fans that he could be a difference-maker right away.

Especially if his Von Miller-like ability to yank a football out of a quarterback’s hands translates to the next level.