ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – The Denver Broncos closed out their 2016 draft by selecting Syracuse punter Riley Dixon. Dixon was the first punter drafted by the team since Paul Ernster was a seventh-round pick in the 2005 draft.
My take: The Broncos, with two punters already on the roster in Britton Colquitt and Will Johnson, showed that they were concerned they wouldn’t be able to sign Dixon as an undrafted rookie, so they reeled him in with the final pick of the day instead. He finished third in school history, averaging 46.62 yards per punt in his career. At 6-foot-4 ½-inches, Dixon was one of the biggest punters on the draft board. Dixon was first-team all-ACC, beating out fellow punter prospect Alex Kinal of Wake Forest. Dixon put 43 percent of his punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line (28 of 65). With Colquitt, who the Broncos asked to take a pay cut last season, set to count $4 million against the salary cap, Dixon’s selection shows the Broncos have opened up the competition at the position.
