ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – For some, nine yards might not seem like all that much, just 324 inches of football real estate that isn’t quite a first down.

But for Phillip Lindsay, the 24-year-old Denver Broncos rookie running back, it is much more. Because for many, Lindsay is 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds worth of possibilities.

Lindsay's story continues to become more familiar across the NFL -- uninvited to the NFL’s scouting combine last February, undrafted, a Pro Bowl nod and nine yards from a 1,000-yard rushing season.

Phillip Lindsay is 22 yards from tying the NFL's rookie rushing record. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

“It’s a great story for kids coming up that feel like they can’t do anything, or they don’t have a chance," Lindsay said. “You’ve got to keep pushing, you just never know. You’ve got to keep the faith no matter what. Everybody can take anything from you, but they can’t take your faith. That’s what you’ve got to rely on. You’ve got to go for your dreams."

Lindsay was the No. 6 running back listed on the Broncos’ initial depth chart of training camp, he was the No. 2 back in the team’s offseason work and even the Broncos, who were exceedingly happy to sign him as an undrafted rookie, saw him as a potential kick returner and spot player on offense.

Instead, he is fifth in the league in rushing at 991 yards, second in yards per carry at 5.5 and No. 1 among plenty of Colorado teenagers, parents and football dreamers who saw him play at Denver’s South High School. He has already become the first undrafted player on offense to be named to a Pro Bowl in his rookie season in league history.

And despite the Broncos' current 6-8 mark, a 1,000-yard rushing season would mean plenty.

“I’m an undrafted free agent, to be able to have 100 yards in a game was great, to get a touchdown, to be able to play (at Broncos Stadium at Mile High), that’s the stuff right there that I dreamed about," Lindsay said. “The Pro Bowl is something that you think like five years down the line, three years down the line. It’s an honor to get it … It’s an accolade that we all get to cherish. Going over 1,000 yards and possibly breaking the record for (an undrafted rookie), it’s just a milestone that the offensive line deserves because they’ve been working.’’

Dominic Rhodes, with 1,104 yards rushing in 2001, holds the league record for rushing yards by an undrafted rookie. Lindsay would need 113 yards rushing combined against the Oakland Raiders Monday night and in the Dec. 30 season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Lindsay had his first career 100-yard rushing game in Week 2 against the Raiders (107 yards on 14 carries) and rushed for 79 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown, against the Chargers last month.

“It’s cool, he deserves it," said Broncos tackle Garett Bolles. “You saw him ball out through the whole year. ... But he showed everybody what it takes. It doesn’t matter how you start, it matters how you finish, and that’s what he did."

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Watch young fans at Broncos games. They crowd the wall next to the field during warmups, and many point at a player who went to school close to where they do, a player who might even be the same height as they are, a young guy, headphones on, swaying to the music, who played against the same Friday-night opponents they do.

Lindsay is not only the first player from the Broncos Futures Football middle-school program to sign an NFL contract, he is the first to sign with the hometown team. And while Lindsay received plenty of attention while he was piling up the yardage at the University of Colorado, his rookie season with the Broncos has raised his profile, even as he tries to keep his feet on the ground.

“There’s a lot more attention," Lindsay said. “But I’m the same person. I do the same things. I stay at home and I relax when I go out and when I go and eat. But everybody pretty much respects me and I’ll take pictures and stuff like that, but other than that, nothing has changed."