Starting 11: Boise State with 11 Former Players on NFL Rosters to Begin 2023 Season
8/30/2023 4:20:00 PM | Football
Broncos pace Mountain West with numbers on 53-man rosters
BOISE, Idaho – National Football League rosters were finalized for the opening week of the 2023 season Tuesday and Boise State unsurprisingly led the Mountain West with 11 former Broncos on NFL rosters.
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Of those 11 players in the NFL ranks, seven of them led their respective teams to the NFL Playoffs last season.
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The 11 former Broncos not only leads the Mountain West Conference but is also more than several Autonomous 5 schools, beating Arizona State (10), Colorado (10) and Arizona (4), to name a few.
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2023 Broncos in the NFL
Name                              Position        Team                                            Experience
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John Bates | TE | Washington Commanders | Third Season
Bates was a favorite target at tight end for the Commanders last season, catching 14 passes for 108 yards and one touchdown on the year. He averaged 7.7 yards per catch and moved the chains for a first down on four of his catches. Originally selected by Washington in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft, Bates enters 2023 having appeared in 33 NFL games with 15 starts, accounting for 357 yards on 34 receptions. He started seven games in his 16 appearances in 2023.
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Ezra Cleveland | LG | Minnesota Vikings | Fourth Season
Now in his fourth season with the Vikings, Cleveland was a consistent force on the offensive line last season in Minnesota. A second round pick (58th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft, he helped lead the Vikings to an NFL Wild Card spot in 2022 while tallying a tackle. Cleveland was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference First Team honoree that started all 40 of his collegiate games for the Broncos, playing in the Mountain West Championship Game in each of his four seasons while winning trophies in 2017 and 2019. He blocked for Mountain West Freshman of the Year George Holani in 2019. During his time as a Bronco, he helped extend the team's streak of having a 1,000-yard rusher to 12 consecutive seasons.
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DeMarcus Lawrence | DE | Dallas Cowboys | 10th Season
Lawrence enters his 10th season with the Cowboys and the three-time All-Pro defensive end totaled 60 tackles (38 solo, 22 assisted) last season with six sacks and three forced fumbles. Over the past nine seasons, Lawrence has tallied 386 total tackles (249 solo, 137 assisted) with 54.5 sacks, two interceptions, 14 pass deflections, 19 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries. He was selected in the second round (34th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft, the first of three Broncos to be selected that year. That followed a two-year career on The Blue where he received All-Mountain West Conference First Team honors both seasons.
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Charles Leno Jr. | LT | Washington Commanders | 10th Season
Now in his 10th season in the NFL, Leno enters his third with the Commanders following a seven-year stint with the Chicago Bears. He played in all 17 games on the offensive line for Washington last season and has appeared in every regular season game for eight consecutive seasons. Leno Jr. was selected in the seventh round (246th overall) pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, one of three Broncos to be selected that year. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference player at Boise State.
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Scott Matlock | DL | Los Angeles Chargers | Rookie Season
A two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection, Matlock was a sixth round (200th overall) pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and is listed among the 53-man roster for the Chargers in his rookie season. An incredible story of perseverance, Matlock's parents passed away before he reached high school. He lived in foster care and eventually moved to Homedale, Idaho, where he won all-state notice as an offensive lineman his senior year. Matlock moved to defense with the Broncos, playing in two games as a reserve his redshirt season (one tackle) and playing in 12 games off the bench in 2019 (two tackles). He garnered honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference honors as a seven-game starter in 2020 (22 tackles, 4.5 for loss with two sacks, two blocked kicks). Matlock was a second-team all-conference pick in 2021, leading BSU with 8.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks (among 41 tackles, also blocking another kick) in 12 starts. He repeated that honor in his final season (49 tackles, six for loss with 2.5 sacks in 13 starts).
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Alexander Mattison | RB | Minnesota Vikings | Fifth Season
Mattison was a key component of the Vikings' Wild Card appearance last season. The running back churned out 283 yards on 74 carries with a career-high five touchdowns on the season while also catching 15 passes for 91 yards and another score. Over 25% of his touches resulted in a first down for Minnesota. He was originally drafted in the third round (102nd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. Mattison has played in 59 career games (six starts) and recorded 404 rushes for 1,670 yards and 11 touchdowns. Additionally, he has caught 70 passes for 526 yards and three touchdowns. In 2022, Mattison posted a career-high five rushing touchdowns and recorded his third game with 100-plus rushing yards. The San Bernadino, California, native attended Boise State from 2016-18 and was named to the 2018 All-Mountain West First Team.
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Khalil Shakir | WR | Buffalo Bills | Second Season
No longer a rookie, Shakir enters his second season in the professional ranks after playing in 14 games – making two starts – in his rookie campaign. He caught 10 passes for 161 yards with one touchdown and averaged an impressive 16.1 yards per catch last season with seven of his 10 receptions prompting a first down. He also returned three punts for 23 yards, averaging 7.7 yards per punt return, and had one kickoff return for 34 yards while helping Buffalo reach the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs. He was selected in the fifth round (148th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft after receiving back-to-back All-Mountain West First Team accolades while at Boise State.
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JL Skinner | S | Denver Broncos | Rookie Season
Also making his professional debut this season, Skinner was an East-West Shrine Bowl and Reese's Senior Bowl invitee following back-to-back All-Mountain West Conference seasons for the Broncos. A sixth round (183rd overall) pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2023 NFL Draft, Skinner still earned a draft selection despite suffering a pectoral injury in the offseason prior to the draft.
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Leighton Vander Esch | LB | Dallas Cowboys | Sixth Season
A 2018 All-Pro in his rookie season, Vander Esch is back for year number six in Dallas this fall. Last season he helped Dallas to a Divisional Round appearance after a Wild Card win over Tampa Bay. During the course of the 2022 season, Vander Esch made 83 tackles (48 solo, 36 assisted) with one sack and one pass deflection in 14 games played. He was a first round (19th overall) pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cowboys and has totaled 415 tackles (257 solo, 158 assisted) with 3.5 sacks, 13 pass deflections and three interceptions in his professional career to date. A former walk-on at Boise State, he was the 2017 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
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Avery Williams | RB/RET | Atlanta Falcons | Third Season (IL)
Williams would likely be among the 53-man list for the Falcons if not for a season-ending knee injury suffered during training camp, prompting an IL-listing for the third-year player. A former walk-on at Boise State that became a Consensus All-American in 2020 and a back-to-back Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year, Williams was selected by the Falcons with a fifth round (183rd overall) pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. During his first two seasons in Atlanta, Williams totaled 109 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown while catching 13 passes for 61 yards. He also has totaled 803 yards on 39 kickoff returns, averaging 20.6 yards per return with 22 of his 32 returns registering over 20 yards.
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Cedric Wilson Jr. | WR | Miami Dolphins | Sixth Season
Wilson enters his sixth season in the professional ranks after helping to guide the Dolphins to an NFL Wild Card spot last season. During the 2022 campaign, he caught 12 passes for 136 yards over 15 games, averaging 11.3 yards per catch. Two-thirds of his catches resulted in a movement of the chains for a first down.
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Of those 11 players in the NFL ranks, seven of them led their respective teams to the NFL Playoffs last season.
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The 11 former Broncos not only leads the Mountain West Conference but is also more than several Autonomous 5 schools, beating Arizona State (10), Colorado (10) and Arizona (4), to name a few.
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2023 Broncos in the NFL
Name                              Position        Team                                            Experience
| John Bates | Â TE | Â Washington Commanders | Third Season |
| Ezra Cleveland | Â LG | Â Minnesota Vikings | Â Fourth Season |
| DeMarcus Lawrence | DE | Â Dallas Cowboys | Â 10th Season |
| Charles Leno Jr. | Â LT | Â Washington Commanders | Â 10th Season |
| Scott Matlock | Â DL | Â Los Angeles Chargers | Â Rookie Season |
| Alexander Mattison | RB | Â Minnesota Vikings | Â Fifth Season |
| Khalil Shakir | Â WR | Â Buffalo Bills | Â Second Season |
| JL Skinner | Â S | Â Denver Broncos | Â Rookie Season |
| Leighton Vander Esch | Â LB | Â Dallas Cowboys | Â Sixth Season |
| Avery Williams | Â RB/RET | Â Atlanta Falcons | Â Third Season (IL) |
| Cedric Wilson Jr. | Â WR | Â Miami Dolphins | Â Sixth Season |
John Bates | TE | Washington Commanders | Third Season
Bates was a favorite target at tight end for the Commanders last season, catching 14 passes for 108 yards and one touchdown on the year. He averaged 7.7 yards per catch and moved the chains for a first down on four of his catches. Originally selected by Washington in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft, Bates enters 2023 having appeared in 33 NFL games with 15 starts, accounting for 357 yards on 34 receptions. He started seven games in his 16 appearances in 2023.
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Ezra Cleveland | LG | Minnesota Vikings | Fourth Season
Now in his fourth season with the Vikings, Cleveland was a consistent force on the offensive line last season in Minnesota. A second round pick (58th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft, he helped lead the Vikings to an NFL Wild Card spot in 2022 while tallying a tackle. Cleveland was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference First Team honoree that started all 40 of his collegiate games for the Broncos, playing in the Mountain West Championship Game in each of his four seasons while winning trophies in 2017 and 2019. He blocked for Mountain West Freshman of the Year George Holani in 2019. During his time as a Bronco, he helped extend the team's streak of having a 1,000-yard rusher to 12 consecutive seasons.
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DeMarcus Lawrence | DE | Dallas Cowboys | 10th Season
Lawrence enters his 10th season with the Cowboys and the three-time All-Pro defensive end totaled 60 tackles (38 solo, 22 assisted) last season with six sacks and three forced fumbles. Over the past nine seasons, Lawrence has tallied 386 total tackles (249 solo, 137 assisted) with 54.5 sacks, two interceptions, 14 pass deflections, 19 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries. He was selected in the second round (34th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft, the first of three Broncos to be selected that year. That followed a two-year career on The Blue where he received All-Mountain West Conference First Team honors both seasons.
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Charles Leno Jr. | LT | Washington Commanders | 10th Season
Now in his 10th season in the NFL, Leno enters his third with the Commanders following a seven-year stint with the Chicago Bears. He played in all 17 games on the offensive line for Washington last season and has appeared in every regular season game for eight consecutive seasons. Leno Jr. was selected in the seventh round (246th overall) pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, one of three Broncos to be selected that year. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference player at Boise State.
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Scott Matlock | DL | Los Angeles Chargers | Rookie Season
A two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection, Matlock was a sixth round (200th overall) pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and is listed among the 53-man roster for the Chargers in his rookie season. An incredible story of perseverance, Matlock's parents passed away before he reached high school. He lived in foster care and eventually moved to Homedale, Idaho, where he won all-state notice as an offensive lineman his senior year. Matlock moved to defense with the Broncos, playing in two games as a reserve his redshirt season (one tackle) and playing in 12 games off the bench in 2019 (two tackles). He garnered honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference honors as a seven-game starter in 2020 (22 tackles, 4.5 for loss with two sacks, two blocked kicks). Matlock was a second-team all-conference pick in 2021, leading BSU with 8.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks (among 41 tackles, also blocking another kick) in 12 starts. He repeated that honor in his final season (49 tackles, six for loss with 2.5 sacks in 13 starts).
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Alexander Mattison | RB | Minnesota Vikings | Fifth Season
Mattison was a key component of the Vikings' Wild Card appearance last season. The running back churned out 283 yards on 74 carries with a career-high five touchdowns on the season while also catching 15 passes for 91 yards and another score. Over 25% of his touches resulted in a first down for Minnesota. He was originally drafted in the third round (102nd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. Mattison has played in 59 career games (six starts) and recorded 404 rushes for 1,670 yards and 11 touchdowns. Additionally, he has caught 70 passes for 526 yards and three touchdowns. In 2022, Mattison posted a career-high five rushing touchdowns and recorded his third game with 100-plus rushing yards. The San Bernadino, California, native attended Boise State from 2016-18 and was named to the 2018 All-Mountain West First Team.
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Khalil Shakir | WR | Buffalo Bills | Second Season
No longer a rookie, Shakir enters his second season in the professional ranks after playing in 14 games – making two starts – in his rookie campaign. He caught 10 passes for 161 yards with one touchdown and averaged an impressive 16.1 yards per catch last season with seven of his 10 receptions prompting a first down. He also returned three punts for 23 yards, averaging 7.7 yards per punt return, and had one kickoff return for 34 yards while helping Buffalo reach the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs. He was selected in the fifth round (148th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft after receiving back-to-back All-Mountain West First Team accolades while at Boise State.
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JL Skinner | S | Denver Broncos | Rookie Season
Also making his professional debut this season, Skinner was an East-West Shrine Bowl and Reese's Senior Bowl invitee following back-to-back All-Mountain West Conference seasons for the Broncos. A sixth round (183rd overall) pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2023 NFL Draft, Skinner still earned a draft selection despite suffering a pectoral injury in the offseason prior to the draft.
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Leighton Vander Esch | LB | Dallas Cowboys | Sixth Season
A 2018 All-Pro in his rookie season, Vander Esch is back for year number six in Dallas this fall. Last season he helped Dallas to a Divisional Round appearance after a Wild Card win over Tampa Bay. During the course of the 2022 season, Vander Esch made 83 tackles (48 solo, 36 assisted) with one sack and one pass deflection in 14 games played. He was a first round (19th overall) pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cowboys and has totaled 415 tackles (257 solo, 158 assisted) with 3.5 sacks, 13 pass deflections and three interceptions in his professional career to date. A former walk-on at Boise State, he was the 2017 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
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Avery Williams | RB/RET | Atlanta Falcons | Third Season (IL)
Williams would likely be among the 53-man list for the Falcons if not for a season-ending knee injury suffered during training camp, prompting an IL-listing for the third-year player. A former walk-on at Boise State that became a Consensus All-American in 2020 and a back-to-back Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year, Williams was selected by the Falcons with a fifth round (183rd overall) pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. During his first two seasons in Atlanta, Williams totaled 109 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown while catching 13 passes for 61 yards. He also has totaled 803 yards on 39 kickoff returns, averaging 20.6 yards per return with 22 of his 32 returns registering over 20 yards.
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Cedric Wilson Jr. | WR | Miami Dolphins | Sixth Season
Wilson enters his sixth season in the professional ranks after helping to guide the Dolphins to an NFL Wild Card spot last season. During the 2022 campaign, he caught 12 passes for 136 yards over 15 games, averaging 11.3 yards per catch. Two-thirds of his catches resulted in a movement of the chains for a first down.
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Players Mentioned
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