Utah's Devontae Booker drafted No. 136 overall by Denver Broncos


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SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah running back Devontae Booker was drafted No. 136 overall to the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft Saturday.

Booker is the fourth players selected by the Broncos in this year’s draft, joining Memphis' Paxton Lynch, Georgia Tech's Adam Gotsis and Boston College's Justin Simmons. He is the first athlete from the University of Utah, and the fifth from the state of Utah, to be selected in the draft.

Prior to the draft, Booker’s stock took a hit because of a knee injury sustained at the end of the 2015 season against Arizona. However, NFL.com’s Mike Mayock had Booker ranked as the third-best running back in the incoming class before moving him up as the second-best running back in the class on Wednesday.

Booker is a versatile and powerful back with a knack for extending plays after contact; the longer he plays, the more aggressive he seemingly gets. Although Booker is a reliable running back and spends the bulk of his workload carrying the ball, he also has great hands and can be used in several passing schemes for teams.

Coming into the NFL, Booker said he needed to improve upon his pass protection most and believes he has what it takes to improve there.

“I know at the next level if I can’t pass protect and protect the quarterback, then I won’t be playing,” he said. “It’s really just me focusing on pass protection.”

Booker finished last season with 1,261 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 268 carries, despite not playing in the final three games of the season. He averaged 4.71 yards per carry and had 318 receiving yards. In 2014, Booker finished the season with 1,512 rushing yards on 292 attempts, ranking him second in the Pac-12 in rushing yards that season.

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Josh Furlong

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