ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --The Broncos knew who they wanted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and they made sure they got him.
Denver traded up seven picks from its original spot at No. 63 to select Indiana wide receiver Cody Latimer.
"You need to just get in the hip pocket of a 38-year-old quarterback by the name of Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Emmanuel Sanders -- what a great situation for this young man," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said when the pick was announced by Broncos Ring of Famer Gene Mingo. "He's a height-weight-speed specimen. At 218 pounds and almost 6-3, he ran 4.4 40(-yard dash) after breaking his foot."
The trade with San Francisco sent Denver's second-rounder (No. 63), fifth-rounder (No. 171) and a 2015 fourth-rounder to the 49ers in exchange for San Francisco's second-rounder (No. 56) and a seventh-rounder (No. 242).
For his career, Latimer accumulated 135 catches for 2,042 yards and 17 touchdowns.
"I get to go to a great organization with a great quarterback, and that's what I wanted," Latimer said to NFL Network on the stage at Radio City Music Hall. "I'm just ready to go."
"It was worth the wait."
He grabbed at least one catch in all 32 of his career games, which included 24 starts. He was named second-team All-Big Ten by the media and honorable mention by the coaches after his 2013 campaign.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway said that while there was depth at receiver, the Broncos knew they wanted Latimer and made sure to trade up when they felt a run on receivers was about to begin.
"We really liked the complete package," he said. "Really the cherry on top of the sundae was how he goes about and plays the game. He was the best blocking wide receiver, by far, in the draft. He took pride in what he did. He took pride in blocking. To me, that's what separated him. There's a bunch of other really good wide receivers, but what really got our attention was the way he took pride in what he did as far as blocking and then as you said, he's got great hands. He's got great speed. He's big and he's tough. He's a complete wide receiver."
Indiana's Anthony Thompson Most Valuable Player in his junior season, Latimer led the Hoosiers with 72 receptions for 1,096 yards.
"Has anybody done more in the offseason than the Denver Broncos?" NFL Network analyst Brian Billick asked. "DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib, helped themselves with the first draft pick in Roby, then this guy to go with I think the best signing in the offseason, Emmanuel Sanders."
Pleased to trade up and select wide receiver Cody Latimer from Indiana. Big, fast & physical WR with a tough mentality. — John Elway (@johnelway) May 10, 2014
