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RB Selvin Young, Denver Broncos

HT: 5-11, WT: 215, Born: 10-1-1983, College: Texas, Drafted: ---

2008 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 28th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: R White (66), C Cooley (67), Selvin Young (68), K Smith (69), D Clark (70)
Position: M Forte (59-RB29), F Taylor (65-RB30), Selvin Young (68 - RB31), K Smith (69-RB32), D Williams (78-RB33)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

 Click here to go to the Selvin Young faceoff, our staff's look at the pros and cons.

Best Case

Oops Mike Shanahan did it again! It seems as though coach Shanahan can make any RB a very productive one in the zone blocking offense of the Broncos. Can Selvin Young be one of those "special" RBs like Terrell Davis or Clinton Portis? Or will he be more like Tatum Bell or Olandis Gary? If you ask Selvin Young he feels like he can rush for over 2,000 yards with this team. That would be quite a feat for the undrafted 2nd year player from Texas. Bronco nation would be thrilled if Selvin Young proved to be prophetic. It's well established that nearly any RB can run for 1,000 yards -- but what does it take to get 1,500 plus? First and foremost Young must stay injury free. He looked very good in relief of Travis Henry last season -- until he himself was injured. The Broncos have a strong stable of backs just waiting in the wings, and any of those guys could prove to be just as effective. Second, Young must impress in training camp. The Broncos brought in veteran Michael Pittman and drafted Ryan Torain to compete. Third, Selvin must hold onto the rock. Nothing will get you benched faster in Denver than fumbling the ball. Selvin Young may not be a 2,000 yard back -- but if he follows the guidelines to success he could run for around 1,500 yards.

Worst Case

The starting job is Selvin Young's to lose, and lose it he could in any number of ways. Michael Pittman is a hard charging veteran who also gives the Broncos a good receiver out of the backfield. Rookie Ryan Torain is the new kid on the block looking to prove himself. Let's also not forget about Andre Hall, or even Anthony Alridge. With the Broncos running game you just never know. What we do know is that Young will be first in line. What he does with that opportunity is up to him. Even if he were to stay healthy and be productive enough to not lose his starting job he may not put up the monster numbers everyone expects. The Broncos may choose to keep Young healthy by using a rotation of backs. Pittman could come in on 3rd downs, and Ryan Torain could steal the goalline carries. This means Young would be more of a RB2 or RB3 than a true RB1 and every week starter.

Outlook

The Broncos believe in Selvin Young, and he believes in himself. Confidence does play a large role in whether or not a player succeeds, but it's not the only indicator. Young will enter training camp as the starter, and he should enter the regular season the same way. Selvin still runs with a chip on his shoulder, despite the success he had as the Broncos starter in 2007. This season Young will have a fierce battle to keep his job, but it's a challenge that he is up for. He has already stated that 2,000 yards is his goal. Lofty, to be sure, but in the Denver scheme anything can happen. What will more than likely happen is that Young will lead the Broncos in rushing, but may get pulled in the red zone to stay fresh. This means he would put up more than 1,000 yards but may not score more than 5 TDs.

Relevant Articles

2008 Schedule

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - It came as a shock to some that this free agent from Texas beat out Mike Bell to backup Travis Henry. Young saw limited action, although he made a heads up play that may have saved the game. Cutler fumbled and then threw a lateral over Young's head. The rookie alertly hustled to the loose ball, arrived before two Buffalo players could recover it, and batted it out of bounds to retain possession.

Week 2 - Young played as Travis Henry's primary backup in this game, always lining up out of the tailback position, while his competition; Cecil Sapp and Mike Bell both played fullback. His biggest impact came on taking a handoff from Cutler out of the shotgun for 40 yards. He only had two other carries for three total yards. Young was targeted three times in the passing game, two on deeper passes from Cutler. One of the balls he appeared to come down with, but it was knocked out when he hit the ground. Young ended up catching one ball for one yard.

Week 3 - Young had more of an impact as a pass catcher than a runner. He showed good running ability and speed by turning both of his targets into good yardage, but lost a fumble at the end of one of his runs.

Week 4 - Young made a strong case for more carries, posting 81 yards on eight carries and pulling in two catches for ten more yards. Young's biggest run came on a reverse-type play for 32 yards. He came in as the running back whenever Travis Henry went out of the game.

Week 5 - This week's hot waiver wire pickup had a fairly quiet afternoon. His only carry of the game came in the middle of the second quarter and resulted in no gain. He was thrown to several times and was actually the most heavily targeted player outside of Brandon Marshall. He couldn't really get much going in the passing game, however, because there was almost always a San Diego defender waiting for him. He did drop a pass over the middle that would have gone for a first down midway through the second quarter. It's possible that it could have even gone for a touchdown, but that would've taken some nice moves after the catch as there were defenders between Young and the goal. With only one carry in this game, it isn't any clearer now than it was before the game as far as how he would handle a larger role in the offense. It's worth noting, however, that no other running backs got carries besides Henry and Young.

Week 7 - Young had a couple of ineffective rush attempts, and a nice screen pass for a 16 yard gain for a first down.

Week 8 - Young was busy in the first quarter totaling 58 yards on ten rushes and two receptions. On the touchdown scoring drive, he had three carries from inside the Green Bay eight but was unable to run the ball into the end zone. Young's numbers would have been better, but a 48 yard run was negated on a questionable holding penalty called on WR Brandon Marshall.

Week 9 - Like Henry, Young struggled, averaging only two yards on his six attempts. Young had two receptions for 15 yards. He was also guilty of a dropped pass.

Week 10 - Before the year began, undrafted rookie Selvin Young surprised everyone by winning the backup running back position over veteran Mike Bell. With injuries and a pending suspension hanging over starter Travis Henry, Young provided validation for his selection as next in line for the coveted Denver Broncos starting running back position. He totaled 129 yards on three catches and 20 rushes and scored the touchdown that put the Broncos ahead for good on a magnificent 20 yard run.

Week 11 - Young led the Broncos in rushing attempts, but never broke any big runs. His long rush was nine yards. Young did show good elusiveness as he rarely went down on first contact and usually found a way to gain an extra yard or two on every run. He caught a few dump off passes as well. He left the game in the fourth quarter with an injured knee, but he returned later when his replacement, Andre Hall, was shaken up.

Week 13 - Young returned after missing a game with a sprained knee. He ran effectively, but was banged up a couple of times during the game and did not have any action after half time. Young had runs of nine, eight, nine, and seven yards. He caught two passes for 17 yards. The first reception netted ten yards on a third down and eight play.

Week 14 - Rookie Selvin Young seems to be establishing himself nicely as the prime running back at Denver. He had several very impressive runs including a 50 yarder as he gained 156 yards on just 17 carries. He was not utilized in the passing attack or kept in at the goal line, but his stats were still impressive.

Week 15 - Young started the game for the Broncos, but was largely ineffective running the ball. However, he did bail QB Jay Cutler out of a few tight spots by hauling in five short passes.

Week 16 - Young started the game and received the majority of the rushing duties, but he had little more success than backup Travis Henry. While Young averaged nearly four yards per carry, he didn't get nearly enough touches to be very productive with them. And since Jay Cutler was performing so poorly in the passing game, Young's opportunities to make plays were lessened even more. He came close to scoring when he took a reception down to the three yard line, but he was replaced on the next two plays by FB Cecil Sapp. Sapp was not only stuffed on third down, but on fourth down as well, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Week 17 - Young was able to gain chucks of yardage on the Vikings rush defense. He was able to find cutback lanes consistently and was able to keep the chains moving. He started slowly, but once the Broncos built up a lead, he was able to grind out the clock until the fourth quarter. He did not have any spectacular runs, but was able to get positive yards most of his carries.