ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Riley Dixon's rookie season wasn't perfect. But he did give the Broncos an upgrade, and his 41.3-yard net average was the best for a rookie or first-year punter in NFL history.
This what the Broncos hoped to find when they used a seventh-round selection on Dixon last spring. They picked him not just because he had a strong leg, but a precise one, having blossomed into one of college football's best placement punters at Syracuse.
Further, Dixon's proficiency is not just a product of playing half his games at 5,280 feet above sea level.