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Denver Broncos draft North Carolina tight end Richard Quinn of Maple Heights, Ohio
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tim Warsinskey
Plain Dealer Reporter

Headlines in Denver were a little misleading Sunday: Broncos trade for Cleveland's Quinn.

No, not quarterback Brady Quinn.

North Carolina tight end Richard Quinn, who is, to be accurate, from Maple Heights, was drafted by the Broncos with the last pick of the second round Saturday. Denver traded two third- round picks (Nos. 79 and 84) to the Pitts burgh Steelers to get Quinn with the 64th overall pick.

"When the process started, I thought I just might be a free agent," Quinn told the Denver Post. "But then I went to the [NFL] Combine to show what I could do. Then I had several teams interested. But I was thinking third to seventh round. When my name was called in the second round, it was a shock."

He wasn't the only one surprised. Different predraft analysts rated Quinn as low as the eighth-best tight end. He was the second tight end drafted after a good showing at the combine.

Quinn, who grew up in Alabama and moved to Maple Heights while in high school, was more of an extra tackle than a tight end in college. He's 6-4, 264 pounds and goes by the nickname Big Rich. Quinn had just 12 career receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He is considered a powerful blocker who may not be an elusive receiver, but has good hands.

"He didn't catch a lot of balls at North Carolina, but that wasn't because he can't catch," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels told Denver media. "They didn't use him that way very much in their system, in their scheme, but he showed very good hands during the course of the spring."

Denver Broncos draft North Carolina tight end Richard Quinn of Maple Heights, Ohio - Cleveland.com