Undrafted Rookie Report – Mark Fenton, OL

Mark Fenton would likely see his first playing time in 2008. Photo Courtesy

The Denver Post reports that the Broncos are trying to pull a Matt Lepsis – bringing in an undrafted offensive lineman from Colorado to anchor our line for years to come. Center Mark Fenton, who earned First-Team Big 12 Honors as a Junior in 2005, could fit that bill well.

Ht: 6-4 Wt: 295 Pos: C/G Class: Senior 40-Time: 5.09

On Mark Fenton:

The biggest knock on Fenton has always been his size – well, scratch that off the list. He’s a Denver Bronco now, and everyone knows Broncos love smaller O-Linemen to actively execute our zone blocking running game. Given that he’s in Denver now, the biggest con would be his apparent lack of natural athleticism when it comes to speed and agility. Not the fastest “small” offensive lineman, Fenton would need to increase his speed and reflexes to adjust to our complicated system.

That being said, he would be one of the larger linemen on our squad at just shy of 300 lbs. Right now the Broncos have him playing guard instead of center, where he played in college (interestingly enough, he was originally recruited out of high school as a Defensive Lineman). Fenton says the transition is going well, and he looks forward to the competition at right guard to come in Training Camp.

“If you can play center, you can play guard. There isn’t much difference. … I’m playing with grown men now. When you’re in college, you’re also a student. But at this level, everybody is responsible for their own actions. I like it.”

Fenton was also a finalist (top 6) for the Rimington Award in 2005, which is given to the nation’s best center. So why did he fall out of the draft? A big part of that has to do with injury concerns, mostly revolving around his broken leg he suffered this past year. He also pulled a calf muscle while running his 40 time. If Fenton can stay healthy, Broncos fans can look forward to him making his first real contributions in 2008. Remember that in our system, it usually takes a player several years to learn it and contribute. Even Lepsis didn’t play a game until his sophomore season, and he didn’t start a game until his junior year. But Shanahan and Sundquist have a knack for finding quality linemen late in the draft – hopefully Mark Fenton turns out to be another success story at guard, and possibly, ultimately, center.