he boys were all really welcoming and the coaching

DENVER -- After watching Kansas City Chiefs rookie Tyreek Hill speed into the end zone on a return, a rush and a reception last month, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak decided to give his own dashing dynamo a chance.He promoted practice squad receiver/returner Kalif Raymond, a former sprinter from Holy Cross, to the active roster. Raymond quickly supplanted punt returner Jordan Norwood, who had two muffs in the Broncos overtime loss to the Chiefs.In Raymond, a 5-foot-9, 160-pounder who ran in the mid-4.3 range as a guest at Harvards pro day, the Broncos hope theyve found their own fireball like the Chiefs have in Hill, the Seahawks boast in Tyler Lockett or the Falcons flaunt in Taylor Gabriel .All of these players give opponents headaches, and Kubiak said Raymond could soon join their ranks.Kalifs only played a couple of NFL games, but youll see him doing some other things, Kubiak said.For now, Raymond is trying to make his mark on special teams, where hes averaged 10.2 yards on six punt returns and is still itching to bring a kickoff out of the end zone.In the last two games weve had three returns over 20 yards, which we didnt have before, Broncos special teams coach Joe DeCamillis said. We ended up getting two balls over the 50 and a ball at the plus-25 going in. Thats what were looking for, short fields.From another undersized player overlooked by so many college recruiters and NFL scouts.Theyre different body types, these burners. Raymond is similar to Gabriel (5-8, 166 pounds). Lockett is 5-11 but weighs just 170. Hill packs a hefty 185 pounds on his 5-foot-10 frame.What binds them together is their blazing speed and relatively small size.Raymond went undrafted, as did Gabriel, who has five touchdowns in his first season in Atlanta after two years in Cleveland.Hill, who wasnt taken until the fifth round, has nine TDs this season, six receiving, one rushing, one on a punt return and one on a kickoff. Lockett scored six times as a rookie after the Seahawks selected him in the third round out of Kansas State. He was slowed by a knee injury in Week 2 this season and only returned to form this month, scoring his first touchdown on a 57-yard reception in Seattles 24-3 win over the Rams.I think I finally got to hit that extra gear that Ive been waiting on and some of my teammates have been waiting on because Doug (Baldwin) thinks hes faster than me. He said after that play that he doesnt think he can run with me anymore, Lockett said.These petite players are used to being overlooked but theyre not overwhelmed, their performances and impact anything but paltry.You see the things Tyreek Hill is doing. He is doing a lot of great things. You see what Odell (Beckham Jr.) is doing. Antonio Brown. T.Y. Hilton, Lockett said. There are so many people that are out here doing so many great things and they dont have the height the NFL thought receivers were supposed to have. You cant really put a limit on a player.Lockett said his dad always told him his future wasnt as a receiver but a football player, a playmaker with the ball in your hands.Every NFL team has players who are undersized. The very fact they made the roster shows they have a multitude of skills that make up for their lack of height.As Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson once put it, A smaller guy has to have something different because this is a big guys league. For one thing, theyve got to be tough. For another, theyve got to be quick. Slow, little guys arent going to make it in this league.Both tough and quick, Raymond said his smaller size is actually an advantage.I like to think I play with a chip on my shoulder and a lot of that chip comes from my size, Raymond said. Theres a certain look that a guy gives you when youre smaller than he is and when I recognize that look, Im trying to throw everything I have at him. So, throughout my years of playing football Ive developed that likeness to get hit and show people that I can hit. So, when I get hit, its like nothing to me.Denver cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who covered Raymond in the slot on the scout team for the first three months of the season and has watched his progress firsthand, said he sees Raymond as the leagues next small guy making a big impact.His quickness and his speed are off the charts, Harris said. Hes learning how to get separation. He just has to take a punt return back. He has to do something. Thats how Hill and Lockett got out there and got their roles expanded.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---AP Sports Writer Tim Booth in Seattle contributed.---Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapletonCheap Paul Konerko Jersey Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. http://www.cheapwhitesoxjerseys.com/ . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Cheap MLB Jerseys . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Cheap Jeff Keppinger Jersey . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings.Wests Tigers have confirmed the re-signing of key forward Elijah Taylor for a further two years.Taylor has enjoyed a career renaissance at the NRL club since being released from Penrith midway through last season, and is now considered an integral part of their line-up.As our members and fans witnessed during the back half of the 2016 season, Elijah considerably strengthened our roster and we are really excited to have him extend his time with the club, Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe said on Monday.Elijah is a player of high calibre and a real asset to our club - he has represented his country on a number of occasions and possesses the attributes, both on and off the field, that we value at Wests Tigers.Despite being linked with a return to rugby union, the 26-year-old Taylor was delighted to stay on at Concord, where he is expected to start next season in the No.13 jumper.He was rewarded for his sstrong club form by being named in New Zealands extended squad for their recent Four Nations campaign in England.ddddddddddddHe paid tribute to the Tigers coaching staff for believing in his talent, and also pointed out how a pre-season with the playing group will benefit his play next year.It didnt take me too long to settle in here at the club, the boys were all really welcoming and the coaching staff really believed in me and supported me, he said.I really enjoyed that aspect and it made my transition so much easier, so to now get a pre-season under my belt with the team will really help going into 2017.Its been really eye-opening to play with some of these young guys, they have a lot of confidence and their enthusiasm really rubs off on you as an older player. ' ' '