"No similarities at all": Devontae Booker making a huge transition

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Devontae Booker has already become a fan favorite. In a recent poll of over 200 Broncos fans, 71-percent expected Booker to be the No. 2 running back this season.

The fact that he was projected as a second-round pick before injury, the fact the Broncos stated they had him as their second back on the board, the fact that he was extremely productive in college; it all adds up to a player who fans are counting on to be a serious threat from behind the quarterback.

But therein lies the problem, Devontae Booker isn’t used to standing behind the quarterback at all. At Utah, where Booker spent his college days the offense is a full spread, zone read attack. A vast majority of his carries came out of the shotgun, on plays where many times he wasn’t even sure he was getting the ball.

With the Broncos, it’s almost the opposite; the quarterback will be under center and many times Booker will even have a fullback in front of him. Even he admits it’s a big change.

“It’s different with no similarities at all,” he explained frankly. “At Utah, we were pretty much a spread and shotgun team. Basically, we would run a lot of inside zones through the shotgun and the spread system, but being here in Denver there’s a lot of one-cut reads and a lot of stretch plays. It’s something that I think fits my ability.”

While it is a change, it is something that fits Booker’s ability, one look at the gif above and you’ll see him display that one cut and go style that has been successful in Denver for so many years. Vision is one of the most important traits, and great vision is something that Booker often displayed in college.

As for all the attention from fans, he loves it.

“That’s what football is all about and playing the sport,” Booker explained. “In my position, I’ve got a lot of attention towards me. Being a rookie, everybody wants to see what I bring to the table, and we’ll just find out here shortly.”

The electric young back is finally 100-percent recovered from the meniscus tear he suffered late in the season and with that, the competition at tailback can begin.

“It’s kind of weird,” he explained of competing with guys who have become friends. “But at the end of the day we’re all helping each other to go out and compete against each other. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to just look at a guy that’s struggling out there in the field and you’re just blowing right by him in reps. We just try to be helpful to each other so we can go out and compete against each other to make it a very competitive day in practice.”

“We’ve got a great group of guys in the running back room,” he added. “They’re all helpful, especially towards a rookie. Whenever I have a question, I ask them, and they’re very helpful to tell me whatever it is that I need answered. We got a great group of guys, and I can’t wait to see what we all do out there.”

Nobody is more excited to see what they—and especially he—can do out there than Broncos fans but how quickly he can make the transition into this new offense will surely dictate how much time he sees come September.