Can Ahmad Gooden rise from undrafted rookie to overtake Jeff Holland and maybe Aaron Wallace to claim one of the Broncos’ back-up outside linebacker spots? We’ll start to find out when practice opens Thursday.

Playing at FCS Samford, Gooden appeared in 46 games and had 273 tackles and 22 sacks, solid production regardless of the level of competition. During the off-season program, Gooden said he had had interest from Baltimore, Arizona, Atlanta, and the Broncos as the draft progressed in late April.

Gooden and his agent looked at the depth chart of those teams before deciding to sign with the Broncos. There are spots available after the Broncos let Shaq Barrett and Shane Ray sign with Tampa Bay and Baltimore, respectively, in free agency. The presence of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb didn’t hurt, either.

“Ultimately, those are two of the best in the league right now,” Gooden said. “That was another big thing on my mind when it was time to make a decision, that I could pick their brains and they would elevate my game.”

Growing up in Talladega, Ala., Gooden said his high school team won nine games in four years.

“To sum it up, we had 40-50 guys each season and I don’t think the discipline was there for a lot of guys and they weren’t consistently committed to the sport,” he said.

Samford recruited him early on and Gooden said, “I felt I could make an impact right away. I knew if I could play, they would give me the opportunity to do it.”

At Samford, Gooden played stand-up defensive end, but he often dropped into zone coverage and also worked in man coverage. The Broncos’ outside linebackers will be expected to line up on the ball, but also have the ability to drop back.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, Gooden’s route to a 53-man roster spot is flashing as a pass rusher, but also showing he can stand up in the run game.

Gordon vs. Chargers

On Thursday, through ESPN, Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon’s camp said he will hold out of training camp and request a trade if a new contract isn’t signed. Entering the fifth and final season of his rookie contract, Gordon’s average salary of $2.667 million ranks 26th among NFL running backs.

Gordon’s case: He has 28 rushing touchdowns in the last three years.

The Chargers’ case for waiting: Gordon has only one 1,000-yard season (1,105 in 2017) and averaged more than four yards per carry in only one year (5.1 in 2018).

Both sides can easily justify their position.

Gordon, who has missed nine games in four years, wants to get locked up long-term in case he’s injured this season. The Chargers can look across town to the Rams and decide against that. Todd Gurley has knee questions and his four-year, $57 million deal won’t kick in until 2020. Plus, running back value can be found throughout bargain free agency, the draft and undrafted free agency. The Chargers could (should?) elect to let Gordon play out his deal and see if he stays healthy and productive.

Hall of Fame change

On Aug. 2, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will vote to approve a 20-person induction class for 2020 to celebrate the NFL’s 100th season. The current maximum class is eight players.

Per David Baker of the Hall, the breakdown would be five modern-era, 10 senior committee selections, three contributors (owners, general managers, etc.) and two coaches.

Former Broncos safety Steve Atwater and former Jacksonville offensive tackle Tony Boselli (a native of Boulder), made the cut to 10 finalists this year, which is a good sign for them.

The expanded senior field could help former Broncos linebackers Randy Gradishar and Karl Mecklenburg (in this section for the first time).

Who else could break through? I enlisted pro football historian, former Washington Times colleague and long-time pal Dan Daly for perspective.

Among the candidates in the senior’s category, Daly listed: Right tackle Duke Slater (1922-31, mostly for the Chicago Cardinals), halfback Verne Lewellen (1924-32, primarily for Green Bay) and end Lavvie Dilweg (1926-34, Green Bay and a five-time All Pro). That will be the challenge for the voters — selecting a real old-timer compared with players from the 1960s and ‘70s.

One logjam that could be broken is in the coach’s section. Four coaches have two Super Bowl titles apiece (Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Shanahan, and George Seifert) and are not working for a team. Flores and Don Coryell were modern-era finalists last year. Related Articles After Broncos let him walk in free agency, Tampa Bay’s Shaquil Barrett returns to Denver as one of NFL’s best pass-rushers

The next opportunity in Jeff Driskel’s winding football journey: Starting at quarterback for Broncos

Broncos rookie wideout KJ Hamler, fully healed from hamstring injury, poised for NFL breakout

🔊 Broncos podcast: Previewing Denver’s must-win Week 3 home showdown against Tampa Bay

Broncos Briefs: Blake Bortles practices, but Brett Rypien likely backup quarterback against Tampa Bay

Another talking point for the Hall and its broadcast partners: The logistics of inducting 20 people. In recent years, the Hall has made an effort to shorten the television broadcast by having the inductee’s presenter do a video speech. With 20, do they split the ceremony into two nights (seniors/coaches on Friday and the modern-era/contributors on Saturday)?

Little optimism

Recapping how three preseason magazines predicted the Broncos’ season:

Street & Smith’s: It picked the Broncos to finish last in the AFC West.

Lindy’s: it picked the Broncos third in the division, ahead of Oakland.

Athlon Sports: It picked the Broncos to finish third in the division, ahead of Oakland, and 14th in the AFC, ahead of the Raiders and Miami.