ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As defensive coordinator Joe Woods proudly introduced his new cornerback, third-round pick Isaac Yiadom, he gave the typical spiel that all coaches give about their new draft picks.
“It’s another exciting day for the Denver Broncos,” Woods said proudly as he embraced the podium less than 24 hours after drafting Yiadom. “He’s a guy that fits our profile and what we look for at corner. He has size and length, he can run, he’s very smart and he’s a physical player. We like to play a lot of man coverage, and he excels at playing press and making plays downfield. It was an easy pick for us.”
However, right before Woods handed the stage over to the Boston College grad, he gave a little inside information on one of the reasons the team decided to make Yiadom a Bronco. By the time everyone slid to the edge of their seat, the second-year defensive coordinator told the story.
“When we were down at the Senior Bowl, it got a little sideways. The kid from LSU was giving us fits,” Woods said, talking about LSU wide receiver D.J. Chark, who finished the game with 160 receiving yards. “We go to the sideline and say, ‘We’ve got to do something. Let’s put Isaac on him.’ So we flipped him over, he didn’t bat an eye, and he did a great job at the line of scrimmage and broke up the pass.”
Not only did Yiadom impress during the game itself, he was a consistent all-star during the week of practice leading up the game in January in Mobile, Ala.
While every team was on hand at the Senior Bowl, the Broncos had the unique advantage of coaching and controlling the North team — the squad Isaac was on — which paid significant dividends in their evaluation process as the game unfolded. And that’s when Isaac really caught the Broncos’ attention.
“Later on in the game, we had a couple guys get banged up at the safety position. We’re over there talking to the group of guys, and we say, ‘Hey, guys. We need somebody to take a few snaps at safety.’ He was the first one to say, ‘Coach, I’ll do it,’” Woods said with excitement in his voice. “So we put him out there, and he made a great play in the post, a great tackle coming out of the post.”
It wasn’t the tackle in the post that caught Denver’s eye. It was his immediate willingness to do whatever he could do to help the team out.
You see, Yiadom had never been a full-time safety, yet that didn’t stop him from stepping up to the challenge.
But this really shouldn’t come as a surprise.
In college, as a starting cornerback his senior season, Yiadom still played every single phase of special teams — a rarity for a key starter — for two reasons. The first was to help his team in any way possible. The second was to hold the younger players accountable. His attitude about special teams is also ideal.
“When you are making plays on special teams, it’s fun,” Yiadom said, sounding like a coaches dream. “It’s just as fun as scoring a touchdown. I line up a gunner every time like, ‘Alright this is a free tackle for me. Let me go get it.’”
That attitude, hard work and willingness to do anything needed to help the football team hit harder than anything on the field during the short week in Alabama in January. Three months later, it was a key factor in bringing Issac Yiadom to the Mile High City.
“He is a great young man that does the right things on and off the football field,” Woods said, speaking on the character of the 6-foot-1, 190-pound corner. “He competes and won’t back down or back away from any challenge.”
The Broncos already know this for a fact.
