Broncos select Canada’s ‘Big O’ in NFL draft

Orlando Franklin may not know what position he’ll play but, when the National Football League opens its 2011 training camps, the Toronto-raised offensive lineman will be a Denver Bronco.

Franklin, nicknamed the Big O, was taken Friday in the second round of the NFL Draft, 46th overall, by the Broncos. He was the second of back-to-back selections by Denver following UCLA safety Rahim Moore.

The 6-foot-6, 316-pound Franklin played offensive tackle at the University of Miami where he was a two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference all-star. But it’s possible that Franklin will end up at guard.

“He’s the most nasty, meanest, physical lineman in this draft,” said NFL.com draft host Rich Eisen. “The Broncos could play him inside or outside at tackle.”

ESPN’s report on Franklin stated he is “a better fit at guard, where he can use his short-area quickness and strong in-line power base to his advantage.” Denver has a lack of depth on the offensive line and Franklin will improve that, whatever his position.

Born in Jamaica, Franklin was raised in Toronto, where he played two years of high school football. However, when he told his mother he had a better chance of getting a university scholarship and playing professionally if he was in the United States, she moved the family south to Florida. Franklin played at Atlantic High School in Delray Beach and, indeed, earned an NCAA Division 1 scholarship at Miami.

“I find myself not really just doing [football] for myself,” Franklin was quoted as saying last month. “I just want to be able to pay back [his mom] for every sacrifice and everything she has done for me and my brother. The first thing I plan on buying my mom is a house, way before I buy myself anything.”

Oddly enough, Franklin is not yet eligible for the Canadian Football League draft slated for May 8. Given that he finished his high school football career in the United States, Franklin had to apply for non-import status. He has yet to do that.