Miles
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- Mar 18, 2019
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos added to their defense with their final selection of the draft as they chose North Dakota State outside linebacker Derrek Tuszka.
Tuszka was an FCS first-team All-American in 2019 as well as the Missouri Valley Football Conference's Defensive Player of the Year.
During his final year, he recorded 48 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, one forced fumble and five passes defensed.
"I take pride in my whole play, just how hard I play," Tuszka said Saturday. "I don't take any plays off. I'm always trying to be a factor wherever the ball is at. Wherever I'm at on the field, there isn't a play that in my mind I can't be a factor on. That's what I really take pride in."
In his four-year career, he started 34 of the 53 games in which he appeared and recorded 133 tackles, 42 tackles for loss, 29.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and six passes defensed.
Tuszka joins a group led by Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, and the Broncos made an effort to land the former FCS player late in the draft.
"I talked to them at the East-West [Shrine] game and then also at the Combine," Tuszka said. "Didn't really talk to them a whole lot afterwards. Towards the end of the draft here this afternoon, I was getting a bunch of calls. They reached out to my agent and were kind of talking about free agency, but with number of free-agent offers that I was having, they found it was in their best interest to take me right toward the end there."