The eyes, Kris Abrams-Draine says, are the keys to a receiver’s soul.
He is 23 years old and has started exactly one NFL game. He walks with a cheeky grin, the kind undisturbed by wrinkles. But he moves in the secondary with wisdom beyond his years, because there’s been a lot packed into that 23.
Abrams-Draine had his first son at 17 years old, and switched from quarterback to receiver to cornerback in his time at Mizzou. He’s shifted abruptly from mostly press coverage in college to off-man in Denver, in a different scheme. Yet he keeps showing up when called upon, because the corner has plenty “between the ears,” as head coach Sean Payton put it Tuesday.
“It’s not a surprise,” Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said, “that he’s good this early.”
Abrams-Draine has been this good as a second-year corner — just seven catches allowed in 16 targets last year in spot snaps as a rookie — because of his understanding of receivers’ movements. He stares at their shoulders, then their eyes. When their pupils pop, he turns. The ball’s often there, in the air.
In the third quarter of Denver’s preseason game Saturday in San Francisco, Abrams-Draine was playing off 49ers receiver Terique Owens. He was open on a deep crossing route as Abrams-Draine sprinted to catch up. 49ers quarterback Carter Bradley reared back, and Abrams-Draine caught a glimpse of Owens’ eyes. They bulged.
In a blink, Abrams-Draine darted in front of Owens to pick off Bradley’s toss, somehow tapping both feet before toppling out of bounds. It didn’t show up in a stat sheet because defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike was flagged for hands to the face. It was still one of the most impressive reps any Broncos defender put on tape in the trip to Santa Clara.
“Something just told me,” Abrams-Draine told The Denver Post Tuesday, “to turn around.”
The Broncos may have a budding second-year psychic in their cornerback room. At present, though, he is buried fifth on the depth chart. In cumulative reps through last year’s preseason and regular season and Saturday’s preseason opener, Abrams-Draine has allowed eight catches on 28 targets for 95 yards and one pick, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s good for an opposing QB rating of 26.3.
Production like that would put him in contention for a starting spot with many NFL franchises. In Denver, it’s landed the 2023 fifth-round pick outside the initial CB rotation.
Surtain is his own island, and Riley Moss is growing in confidence opposite him. Starting nickel Ja’Quan McMillian picked off a pass Saturday and picked off Bo Nix in practice Tuesday. And the Broncos snagged versatile corner Jahdae Barron in the first round of April’s draft, a move that made Abrams-Draine tell himself he had to step it up in a room that’s only gotten deeper.
“Many teams don’t have guys that can play inside and out,” Abrams-Draine said. “So I feel like, in this defense, you gotta be able to play inside and out … you just have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
He made himself comfortable in uncomfortable moments as a rookie. He got his first NFL shot in the fourth quarter of a primetime matchup with Cleveland last year after veteran Levi Wallace was torched by ex-Bronco Jerry Jeudy. Abrams-Draine promptly blanketed Jeudy. He got his first NFL divisional reps in another primetime matchup with the Chargers, and promptly picked off Justin Herbert near the Broncos’ end zone.
“The tail end of last year, his plays and his confidence — you can have a stretch of four weeks, and all of a sudden that can carry over into the next year,” Payton said.
Abrams-Draine has stacked years ever since he arrived at Mizzou. He entered as a wideout and switched to cornerback his sophomore year. At first, he was so raw that he’d turn his head back to the ball once his assignment broke off the line of scrimmage, still stuck in a receiver’s mindset. His coach would implore: He’s not throwing the ball to you. You gotta keep your eyes on the receiver.
He’s done that ever since. By his senior year, he led the SEC in pass deflections. Abrams-Draine traces receivers’ gazes, searching for any flash of excitement.
“I feel like most receivers, their eyes just get big,” he said. “And they don’t even know it.”
For now, Abrams-Draine has established himself as a key special-teamer, lining up on most kickoff units the Broncos trotted out against San Francisco. There’s no easy path to cornerback snaps. But Denver has another legitimate young asset tucked in the wings of Vance Joseph’s secondary.
“Obviously, I want to play,” Abrams-Draine said. “But I can be patient.”
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