The Player

It may seem odd to profile a tight end going into his sixth season with only 35 career catches. But Virgil Green is the exception to the rule. As it turns out, not all blocking tight ends are made equal.

The Denver Broncos, who drafted Green in the seventh round as a developmental athletic specimen, immediately set to work on making this receiving weapon into a blocking specialist. This allowed them to place their fourth-round pick, another tight end named Julius Thomas, into the receiving role. And so Green toiled around in obscurity at the line of scrimmage, rarely being given the ability to demonstrate his athleticism and receiving ability that made him one of Colin Kaepernick's favorite weapons at Nevada.

This is despite the fact that Green's athletic profile was off-the-charts good. While perhaps not quite as fast as Vernon Davis, there aren't many players who have tested as well at the position as Green. His 42-inch vertical jump and 130-inch broad jump rank him in the top-two at tight end since 1999. His 6.90-second three-cone score, which tests a player's agility, was also in the top-five, ranking alongside freaks such as Kellen Winslow Jr., Jordan Cameron, Jimmy Graham and Tyler Eifert.

In college he was lauded for his outstanding ball skills, catching 35 passes for 515 yards and 5 touchdowns in a run-heavy offense his final season at Nevada. But yet in the NFL, he hasn't been given the opportunity to showcase those talents, along with his athleticism. Could that change in 2016?

The Opportunity

Dating back to his coaching days for the Houston Texans, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak has long featured the tight end position in his roll-out-heavy offensive scheme. More often than not during his tenure, the tight end was either first or second in targets and yards, often with Owen Daniels as the recipient of that attention.

Even with a limited Peyton Manning at the helm last year, whose lack of mobility inhibited Kubiak from implementing his full offense, the aging Daniels was third on the team in targets with 77. With Daniels no longer on the team and a new starter under center capable of running the Kubiak system, expect the tight end to be a featured part of this offensive attack.

Enter Virgil Green, who finally gets the opportunity to serve as more of a blocker in this attack. Heck, in two preseason games he already has 7 receptions for 83 yards in limited work, and it appears likely that he will be the man at tight end in this offense.

While the presence of two fantastic receivers in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas and the talent limitations of presumptive starter Mark Sanchez perhaps limit what Green can accomplish, do not be surprised when he makes a more significant contribution than most expect. His ability over the middle and in the red zone could provide this team with a valuable weapon in 2016.