Broncos WR Kalif Raymond: Players to watch at ‘Champ Camp’

The Denver Broncos have kicked off training camp once again as they prepare for the 2016 season. With Super Bowl 50 in the rearview mirror, the team is solely focused on the task ahead. Training camp is a time when players come out of nowhere, fade into the background or solidify themselves as key contributors for this Super Bowl caliber team.

With “Champ Camp” underway, there are several storylines that are going to unfold for us over the course of the next few weeks. Wide receiver Kalif Raymond is certainly a player for fans to watch when attending training camp at UCHealth Training Center.

Holy Cross star

The Broncos may have done it again by finding a quality talent after the draft when they picked up Raymond as an undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross. A two-sport star in the Patriot League (football and track), Raymond holds school records in the 60- and 100-meter dash.

Speed is his hallmark, and before the 2016 NFL draft Raymond showed off that part of his game at the Harvard Pro Day. During that event, Raymond clocked in with a blazing 4.3-second 40-yard dash.

As one would imagine, there’s no Holy Cross highlights on “SportsCenter.” Watching coach’s tape of Raymond showcases his speed and quickness after the catch. He can be utilized properly on “go” routes where he can streak down the sideline. To counter that, Raymond has the quickness to be used on comeback routes after selling a deep look. He did a good job of fooling cornerbacks in the Patriots League, but playing at the NFL level is a huge leap in talent.

A smaller receiver (listed at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds), Raymond has been working on adding more bulk to his frame now that he’s in the pros.

“The bigger I’ve gotten, it’s always been muscle for the most part. I’ve always gotten faster, and I’ve always felt better. The size worked well. I didn’t feel any slower out there. I felt good,” Raymond said.

Immediate impression

It didn’t take long for Raymond to splash onto the scene with the Broncos. Not only was he making plays earlier this year in minicamp but Raymond is also the first player on the field each day of training camp.

The rookie knows how important first impressions are.

“I want to be the first guy in and the last guy out. At the same time I want to make sure I am as loose as possible. If I am going to go 110 percent, I know my own body, so I need to be out here warmed up ready to go,” Raymond said. “If I can get 100 punts, I’m going to hit 100 punts. I’m going to be out here as soon as the jugs are out here, so I can get those punts. You can never get too many reps. The day I go back there and can read it as soon as it comes off the kicks is the day all the work has been put in. I’ve never played an NFL game, so when it comes off the punt, I need to be able to see everything, expect everything, and be used to it already.”

Raymond jumps out on the practice field with his speed and quickness. At field level, it’s easy to see how Raymond can simply turn around some of the best athletes on the planet. He’s a blur getting down the field, and Raymond doesn’t lose much speed when changing direction.

Returner or receiver … or both?

Make no mistake about it, Raymond is more than just a return man. He was primarily a slot receiver during his college career at Holy Cross, but Raymond got some experience playing on the outside in 2015.

“I played outside just my last year at Holy Cross. The first three years were all slot. It’s something I’m pretty comfortable with,” Raymond said. “I’m able to see coverage a little bit better on the run. It’s not shocking coming here on so many coverage changes because I have a little bit of it when I was back in college.”

While he’s constantly making plays as a receiver, Raymond has shown a few blemishes as a returner. Raymond has dropped a couple of kicks, and he needs to field the ball cleanly in order to earn the team’s trust at the position.

Even with some flaws as a returner, special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis likes what he’s seen from Raymond.

“He’s done a good job. We worked on kickoff return today. It looked like he had a couple of nice shots there. I haven’t seen the film yet from today,” DeCamillis said. “On punt return, in the team stuff that he’s returned, he was good. He’s just got to work on returning mechanics and make sure that he keeps catching every ball because that’s the most important thing for sure.”

Camp notebook

Raymond makes plays multiple times per day in practice. He has so much speed that it has taken some time for the quarterbacks to know they can’t really overthrow the diminutive receiver. Raymond does a good job of tracking deep passes over his shoulder, and he can immediately accelerate with the ball in his hands.

Even when passes aren’t on the money, Raymond has shown the ability to “climb the ladder” and catch passes at their highest point. He is too short to catch passes “above the rim,” but his catching radius is a bit larger than some would think for a 5-foot-9 receiver.

Smaller receivers usually struggle against press coverage. Raymond is so lightning quick corners have a difficult time getting a hand on him at the line of scrimmage. He has shown the ability to shake defenders at the line then leave them trailing in his dust.

Head coach Gary Kubiak believes Raymond understands the role he’s being asked to play.

“Kalif is very explosive. He’s not very big, but he is very explosive. I think he understands his role and how he can make this team as a returner or a slot-type player for us. He’s taken advantage of it,” Kubiak said.

Paxton Lynch, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, is the future at the quarterback position. So far in camp, we’ve seen Lynch be the most aggressive passer of any of the quarterbacks on the team’s roster. Lynch looks to go long as much as possible, and his eyes seem to light up when Raymond gets open deep.

Raymond loves the connection they’ve built through the first week of camp.

“It’s all that guy. As you can see he’s working his tail off to make sure that we are all coming out of our breaks. He, Mark (Sanchez) and Trevor (Siemian), there were some passes today where they were throwing it before some guys were coming out of the breaks, and it’s hitting them right there,” Raymond said. “Paxton is working night and day to get it done. I’m coming out of my break, and it’s all him putting the ball out there. It’s just credit to how hard he’s working. As long as I do my job, he’s taking care of his.”

Whether or not Raymond does enough to make the 53-man roster is up in the air. To make the team, he’d likely have to beat out veteran Jordan Norwood as the primary return man.
If he doesn’t make the final roster, it will be interesting to see if the Broncos can sneak him through to the practice squad. No matter what his future holds, Raymond has certainly caught the attention of the coaching staff in only a week of training camp.