FORT SMITH — Arkansas fullback Peyton Hillis heard before the NFL Draft that he could be a thirdround choice and wouldn’t fall out of the fourth round.

He spent an agonizing couple of hours Sunday waiting to hear his name called. It finally came in the seventh round when he was taken by the Denver Broncos as the 227 th pick, 26 spots from the end of the draft.

“Things happen, and I guess teams had some doubts and I just sat back and took it,” said Hillis, who was in Fort Smith to receive the Chism Reed Award given by the Fort Smith Razorback Club. “It was a real nerve-racking day.

“ I think a lot of teams are going to be really upset that they passed me up.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Hillis finished a productive four-year career as a Razorback with 961 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, as well as 118 receptions for 1, 195 yards and 11 more touchdowns.

Hillis, 6-1, 240, apparently fell victim to the trend of the disappearing fullback from NFL rosters, but he has hope he can latch on in Denver’s fullback-friendly offense.

“Everything happens for a reason, and God has blessed me enough to go to Denver, where I think the offense will fit me just right, where I think I can improve and succeed in that offense,” Hillis said.

The Conway native said he has discussed his possibilities with Denver Coach Mike Shanahan.

“When they have a successful fullback, it seems like they win games,” Hillis said. “[Shanahan ] expects me to go in and fill that role, and I’m looking forward to it.

“ It’s a West Coast offense, so you’ll catch the ball a lot, move out of the backfield a lot, be the one-back on third-down sets and things like that.”

Shanahan called Hillis a value as a seventh-round selection.

“It’s hard to find fullbacks in the NFL, and we hope we found one out of Arkansas,” Shanahan said. “He’s very strong, very physical, and I think he’ll fit in well into our blocking scheme. We feel very fortunate that he was there.

“ He’s an excellent blocker, and we’ll wait and see how he fits in.”

The Broncos list no other fullbacks besides Hillis on their 89-man roster, but their depth chart lists Cecil Sapp, a sixth-year pro out of Colorado State, and Mike Bell, a third-year pro out of Arizona, at fullback on their Web site.

Hillis has already circled Denver’s season opener: a Monday night matchup on Sept. 8 against the Oakland Raiders and rookie running back Darren McFadden, Hillis’ Arkansas teammate for three years.

Hillis will attend his first minicamp for the Broncos on May 15.

“Hopefully I can go up there and produce,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got a chip on my shoulder, something to prove right now, and I really want to prove it, so people better watch out.” Peyton Hillis glance POSITION Fullback HEIGHT / WEIGHT 6-1, 240 pounds DRAFTED Seventh round by the Denver Broncos NOTABLE Finished career at Arkansas with 961 yards rushing, 12 rushing touchdowns, 118 receptions, 1, 195 yards receiving, 11 receiving touchdowns.