After leaving Georgia a year early and being taken by Denver in the 2017 NFL Draft, Isaiah McKenzie has some motivation to prove he should have been chosen earlier in the draft following his Round 5 selection. It appears McKenzie will not only have motivation his rookie season, the Broncos are willing to give him opportunities all over the field to prove his NFL value.

McKenzie blew up as a junior, leading Georgia in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. While the Broncos won’t ask the 5-foot-7 former Bulldog to do those same things for the club in his rookie season, Denver appears ready to give McKenzie opportunities not only at receiver but on special teams and at running back.

Following his team’s initial OTA event, first-year Denver head coach Vance Joseph recently commented on the versatility that McKenzie could bring to the Broncos.

“He’s a guy that we’re going to use obviously in the slot and in the return game, but also maybe in the backfield a little bit,” Joseph said according to Scotty Payne of Mile High Report. “He has a skillset that we could use him in a lot of places. He’s exciting. He’s a smart guy. He’s a tough guy. So we’re excited about him.”

Thanks to the team’s addition of former Kansas City star running back Jamaal Charles this offseason, Denver likely won’t rely heavily on McKenzie to contribute in the backfield. While the two players do have much in common, it wasn’t Charles who McKenzie was being compared to following the OTAs, it was Charles’ former teammate Tyreek Hill.

“That’s tough to say. I mean, Tyreek had a hell of a year. That’s amazing what he did last year,” Joseph continued. “We’re hoping to get something like that out of McKenzie as far as his return ability and his slot receiving skills and his backfield skills. Maybe. We’ll see.”

While it’s unfair to heap that type of expectations on McKenzie so early in his NFL career, if he can provide a spark to the team’s offense as a rookie, he’ll prove to be well worth the initial draft pick investment.