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Denver Broncos Select UCLA Tight End Greg Dulcich in 3rd Round of NFL Draft

Dulcich was a member of the All-Pac-12 First Team in 2022 and will now get to catch passes from quarterback Russell Wilson.
Sam Connon|
Denver Broncos Select UCLA Tight End Greg Dulcich in 3rd Round of NFL Draft
Denver Broncos Select UCLA Tight End Greg Dulcich in 3rd Round of NFL Draft

Another Bruin tight end is officially NFL bound.

The Denver Broncos selected UCLA football tight end Greg Dulcich with the No. 80 overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Friday night. Dulcich follows in the footsteps of Caleb Wilson and Devin Asiasi, becoming the third Bruin at his position to get picked in the past four years.

Dulcich is the highest-drafted of the bunch, and he came off the board earlier than any other UCLA tight end since Marcedes Lewis, who went to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round in 2006.

After starting his collegiate career as a walk-on receiver, Dulcich started earning more regular snaps as Asiasi's backup in 2019. Dulcich fully emerged in 2020, earning All-Pac-12 Second Team honors after racking up 561 yards and five touchdowns on 26 catches across seven games.

Dulcich followed up that breakout campaign by recording 725 yards and five touchdowns on 42 receptions in 2021. In addition to moving up to the All-Pac-12 First Team, Dulcich was also a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award. Dulcich then ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 34-inch vertical jump at the NFL Scouting Combine in March.

The 6-foot-4 tight end is now making the move from Westwood to Denver, joining a new-look offense in the AFC West. The Broncos traded for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson earlier in the offseason, giving up 2019 first round tight end Noah Fant as part of the deal.

Denver now has their replacement for Fant, making Dulcich a top target alongside receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.

The Broncos did not have a first rounder as a result of the Wilson trade, and they took Oklahoma edge rusher Nik Bonitto in the second round earlier Friday.

Dulcich was the third tight end off the board, with the Arizona Cardinals picking Colorado State's Trey McBride in the second round at No. 55 and the Indianapolis Colts snatching Virginia's Jelani Woods earlier in the third at No. 73.

READ ALL BRUINS' NFL DRAFT PROFILE ON GREG DULCICH

Offensive lineman Sean Rhyan and wide receiver Kyle Philips are expected to be the next UCLA products to hear their names called, with defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia and safety Quentin Lake also projected to get drafted.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon was the Publisher and Managing Editor at Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s All Bruins from 2021 to 2023. He is now a staff writer at Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s Fastball. He previously covered UCLA football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country and golf for The Daily Bruin from 2017 to 2021, serving as the paper's Sports Editor from 2019 to 2020. Connon has also been a contributor for 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' BruinBlitz, Dash Sports TV, SuperWestSports, Prime Time Sports Talk, The Sports Life Blog and Patriots Country, Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s New England Patriots site. His work as a sports columnist has been awarded by the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon graduated from UCLA in June 2021 and is originally from Winchester, Massachusetts.

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