ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Minutes after the Broncos selected Greg Dulcich in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Denver’s draft room was full of high fives, F-bombs of excitement and celebration.
As George Paton crossed Nathaniel Hackett’s path on his way back to his seat in the war room, the head coach leaned in to the general manager and with a little more than a whisper, yet full of excitement, said, “He gives us something we don’t have,” as was captured on Behind the Broncos.
Minutes after Dulcich’s first practice as a member of the Broncos, on Friday during Denver’s rookie minicamp, Hackett was asked about that comment and what unique characteristic the rookie brings to the tight end room.
“Have you seen his hair? I mean, wow,” Hackett immediately responded with his classic enthusiasm. “Just watching him out here, [the hair] flowing in the wind.”
Eric Tomlinson, who also has near shoulder-length flow, might have a word with Hackett about that take.
But while Hackett led off his answer with a lighthearted joke, moments later, there was no joking around when Dulcich talked about his own locks of love.
“The hair’s staying. Forever,” he stated without hesitation, as his wavy hair lightly rested on his shoulders. “You can quote that.”
While Dulcich’s hair — along with his mustache — improve the hair game in the Broncos’ tight end room, that wasn’t the main reason Denver used the 80th-overall pick in the draft on him.
The unique characteristic that Hackett referred to on draft night was Dulcich’s ability to be an all-around tight end.
“It was great to see him out here run routes. He can really run. He’s in great shape. You can see that,” Hackett said, transitioning to what Dulcich brings to the field. “And even being over here with some of the blocking drills, you can see that he’s definitely a willing blocker. It’s kind of that all-purpose guy. I think that’s something that’s going to be really valuable for us.”
It wasn’t that Denver didn’t have pieces in the tight end room before, it was that the players they already had on the roster weren’t necessarily viewed as all-around tight ends.
At 6-foot-6, 263 pounds, Tomlinson is a mauler in the run game. However, last season, he had one single catch for the Ravens all year.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Albert Okwuegbunam is a potential lethal threat in the passing game, thanks in large part to his 4.49 40-yard-dash time, but has struggled his first two years in the league as a run blocker.
The Broncos believe Dulcich can find the middle ground between those two.
At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Dulcich was viewed by many coming out of UCLA as a receiving threat at the tight end position. As a senior in 2021, Dulcich’s 42 catches for 725 yards, five touchdowns and a whopping 17.3 yards per catch clearly backed that up.
However, some scouting reports called into question his ability as a blocker. Dulcich has no idea why, but agreed with Hackett that he’s a willing blocker.
“It just means I’m going to stick my head in the fire and not be afraid of anything,” he said, explaining what it means to be a willing blocker. “If people got the misconception that I’m only going to go out and run routes, that’s totally wrong. I’m going to do it all.”
Saying that, however, the rookie understands as he takes the massive step from the Pac-12 to the AFC West, he’s going to have to continue to develop his game in all areas, including blocking.
“There’s a lot to work on,” Dulcich admitted. “Pass game, showing some more wiggle and learning how coverages are going to be played in the NFL is going to be a lot different than college. And then run game too. Just being more explosive, coming off the ball — as you guys probably saw in the drills today — that was a big emphasis for us tight ends and I think we handled it really well.”
As Dulcich’s career in Denver begins, he committed to keeping his flow in the Mile High City. One way he can make sure passes flow his way in the NFL is by proving he’s the all-around tight end Hackett and the Broncos believe he is.
