Broncos rookie receiver DeVaughn Vele's age dropped him in the draft but his maturity is now a plus

Broncos rookie receiver DeVaughn Vele's age dropped him in the draft but his maturity is now a plus ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Arnie Stapleton, The Associated Press Aug 14, 2024 2:54 PM Aug 14, 2024 3:05 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message FILE - Denver Broncos wide receiver Devaughn Vele (81) warms before an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Indianapolis.

(AP Photo/Zach Bolinger, File) ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos rookie turning the most heads this summer isn't first-round draft pick Bo Nix but receiver DeVaughn Vele, a seventh-rounder from the University of Utah whose recent one-handed catch has been the highlight of training camp. Vele isn't your typical rookie — he'll turn 27 in December — so the 235th overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft is in a hurry to make his mark as a pro.

“I feel like I got a little chip on my shoulder that I have to be better because I don’t have the luxury of developing and being that guy that’s like, ‘Oh, in a few year’s he’ll be good,'" Vele said Wednesday. "I feel like I have to contribute as much as I can now." Vele has wasted no time in standing out in a crowded receiving room that features holdovers Courtland Sutton , Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Marvin Mims Jr.

and Brandon Johnson along with free agent Josh Reynolds, fourth-round draft pick Tony Franklin and veteran Tim Patrick, who is coming back from consecutive season-end.