Broncos Players & Coaches Continue to Praise Second-Year DL McTelvin Agim
The Denver Broncos took a chance on a hyper-explosive and versatile defensive lineman from Arkansas with a third-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft. Though McTelvin Agim didn't get much action in his rookie campaign, things are turning around rather quickly.
Agim played marginally as a rookie, rotating in sparingly down the back half of the season. There were some flashes of quality play as a pass rusher, but he was bullied mightily in the running game due to a lack of functional strength and experience as an interior defensive lineman.
Back at Arkansas, Agim played in just about every defensive line technique in the team's hybrid defense which featured multiple fronts. He had minimal usage in a singular technique because of this, so finding a way to master a specific craft would be a task that needed time and development. Agim was raw, but had incredible potential to become a high-quality player.
Fast forward to training camp Year 2 and this moldable ball of clay has developed nicely.
"He’s having a great camp," teammate DeShawn Williams said following Friday's practice. "A lot of people think rookie linemen, defensive linemen, [are] supposed to come in and make an impact. It’s not that easy. You’re going against grown men."
Agim has been flashing constantly at Broncos training camp, proving to be a nearly unblockable force as a pass rusher. He's generated multiple pressures going against the first-team offensive line and blown up running plays at will. There are sacks aplenty, and his performance in one-on-ones has been as dominant as any player on the defensive line.
"The speed changes, the strength changes, and he’s got that year under his belt and now you see everybody’s been bringing his name up," Williams continued on Agim. "Man, he’s out there having a great camp, and I can’t wait to see him when we go against Minnesota to put it all together. He bust his tail this offseason, and it’s showing.”
Agim has also added a facet to his game that brings a smile to Shelby Harris' face; knocking down passes at the line of scrimmage.
In one practice, Agim got his hands on a couple of passes, intercepting one himself and having the other nearly intercepted by Kareem Jackson. He also had another interception earlier in camp.
A defensive lineman that can't or doesn't win his rep should always get his hands up into passing lanes, and in so doing, Agim has caught the eye of defensive line coach Bill Kollar and head coach Vic Fangio.
"Bill does a good job of preaching that and coaching it. Obviously, he’s listened," Fangio said.
If Agim continues his ascension throughout the remainder of camp, the Broncos could have a fantastic foursome of interior pass rushers between him, Harris, Williams, and third-year pro Dre'Mont Jones. Adding in a fully healthy Mike Purcell to the mix (hopefully) will round out an incredibly talented and well-rounded unit upfront.
With Von Miller's return to health and Bradley Chubb being another year removed from his torn ACL, the Broncos could have a devastating pass rush this season. Since the beginning of camp, this unit has been flying wildly towards the quarterback, racking up gobs of sacks at will. And Agim, fondly referred to as 'Sosa,' has been a big part of it.
"The pash-rush party [is] about to be lit," Jones said shortly into camp. "You’ve got Shelby, me, Chubb, [OLB] Malik [Reed] incorporated into that. ‘Sosa’ will be incorporated into that, DeShawn is going to be incorporated into that. Everybody has the ability to rush the passer. It’s going to be fun."
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