Faith became a verb, changing the trajectory of Devaughn Vele’s life. Vele, the son of Afagaila and Efaraima, grew up as a gifted athlete, playing baseball, basketball, volleyball and running track. But he felt a gravitational pull from football.
He developed into a star at Rancho Bernardo in San Diego, posting 980 yards and 11 touchdowns in his senior season. Then his dreams became frozen. He received zero college offers.
A shell-shocked Vele was left to consider his options when there were, well, no options. “There were a lot of things going on in my life at that time. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life especially when it came to football,” Vele told The Denver Post after Wednesday’s practice.
“There was a lot of prayer. A lot of fasting.” Wanting to connect deeper with this faith, Vele elected to go on a two-year mission for the LDS church.
He served in his ancestral homeland of Samoa, learning the language, teaching and even baptizing a distant relative. “It helped me find myself and mature as a person,” Vele said. Watching Vele at Broncos training camp provides daily reminders of his life experience.
He is a rookie in name only. Remember that third-and-3 connection from Bo Nix to running back Jaleel McLaughlin in the third quarter against the Colts? Nix lofted a pass that hit McLaughlin in stride for a 22-yard gain. McLaughlin found space because Vele executed his lunch pail assignment.
Lined up wide left, Vele shuffle stepped .