Polumbus: What to expect from Broncos 1st-round pick Garett Bolles

When free agents sign mega-contracts, fans have high expectations for the performance that should come with it. Sometimes it pans out; sometimes it does not.

Von Miller is now expected to put out a Pro Bowl-type season every year now that he is making quarterback type of money.

This is probably a fair expectation for proven players who receive a monster second contract because they have already shown on the field what their product of play is at the NFL level.

For rookies drafted in the first round, fans usually have the same expectation for the product they put on the field in their first year as they do for free agents who sign monster deals.

However, expectation versus reality can be a funny conversation.

Many fans expect rookies to come in as a finished product, but the reality is that these young kids haven’t even tapped into the potential that got them drafted in the first round.

Their performance is rarely the same as a high-priced free agent who signs a deal for similar money that these first-round rookies already make.

For Denver Broncos first-round pick Garett Bolles, he will be expected by many to put out a Pro Bowl-type performance in his rookie year at a position that is one of the toughest on the field to play and takes the longest to develop players.

Bolles is such an intriguing draft pick for the Broncos for many reasons.

He is hands down the best athlete in the group of draftable tackles who came out this year. The speed of his footwork is flat out impressive on film. You can’t hide the potential that this kid has when you think about his athleticism.

The reality for Bolles, though, is that he’s is far from a finished product.

Not many draft picks are finished products, and that includes the first-rounders. Bolles has not played much football. His skill set is raw. His pass protection in college leaves plenty to be desired from a coaches point of view.

At 295 pounds, his weight is not where he will need to be to excel in the power scheme that Denver employs.

As an eight-year NFL veteran who has seen up close and personal hundreds of first-rounders come into the league, nothing from the paragraph above bothers me.

I know my expectation for Bolles, and likely it is not the same as many fans’ expectations.

Bolles will have his moments of triumph, and he will certainly have his moments of failure during the upcoming season. I am good with it.

I am just excited for Broncos fans that the organization drafted the best athlete at the position because, from my experience, the best athletes will always develop into the best players.

Give the kid some time, and don’t put the unrealistic expectation arriving a finished product on him. Enjoy the attitude that he will bring to this offense.

Celebrate his triumphs, and then judge him based off of how he responds to his failures rather than the number of failures he has in his rookie season.