Knowshon Moreno Knowshon Rockwell Moreno ( born July 16 , 1987 ) is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was selected 12th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Broncos . He played college football at the University of Georgia . Early years . Moreno grew up in Belford , a neighborhood in Middletown Township , New Jersey . At Middletown High School South he led his team to three Central Jersey Group III championships . He rushed for 1 , 629 yards on 153 carries and scored 28 TDs in 11 games as a senior . He finished his high school career with 6 , 268 career rushing yards , 128 touchdowns , and 728 points . His rushing yards are second all - time in New Jersey high school ranks , while he is New Jersey ' s all - time leading scorer . He also rushed for 420 yards and 7 touchdowns in one game against the Neptune Scarlet Fliers . He also rushed for 6 touchdowns against the Monmouth Regional Falcons . During his time at Middletown South , he also was a top tier sprinter and jumper during the indoor and outdoor track seasons . He was the # 10 running back and # 73 prospect according to Rivals . com , # 9 running back according to Scout . com , and was a PrepStar 200 selection . He was also an EA Sports All - American while being recruited by Georgia , Maryland , Michigan , Virginia , Virginia Tech , and Florida . Moreno eventually signed his letter of intent to Georgia . Collegiate career . Freshman season . Moreno redshirted in 2006 , but returned in 2007 as a redshirt freshman . After a great spring , Moreno shared time with Thomas Brown as the starting running back in the season opener against Oklahoma State . Moreno totaled 70 yards rushing on 12 carries with two receptions for 51 yards in the 35 - 14 win . In the following game against South Carolina , Moreno saw most of the rushing duties with 14 carries for 104 yards in the 12 - 16 loss . In the third game of the season against Western Carolina , Moreno scored his first career college touchdown in a 45 - 16 win over Western Carolina . His totals on the day were 94 yards on 13 rushes with one touchdown . Entering the Bulldogs ' game against Vanderbilt , it was announced that Georgia ' s starting tailback Thomas Brown would be sidelined with a broken collarbone . Moreno was elevated to starting tailback in Brown ' s place and responded with 157 yards gained on the ground in a tight 20 - 17 Bulldog win . Following a bye week , he continued his impressive season with 188 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 33 carries as Georgia defeated its rival , Florida . Against Troy the next game , Moreno rushed for 196 yards , joining Herschel Walker as the only player in Georgia history to rush for 1 , 000 yards in his freshman season . Moreno rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth straight game in leading the Georgia Bulldogs to a 24 - 13 victory over Kentucky while totaling 124 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries . Moreno is the first Georgia tailback since Herschel Walker in 1982 to rush for over 100 yards in five straight games . Through the first ten weeks of the 2007 season , Moreno was named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times and SEC Offensive Player of the Week once . He was named onto the all - SEC first team and was the unanimous SEC Freshman of the Year . He was the featured tailback on the Freshman All - American first team and was named to the All - Freshman SEC team . " Sporting News " named him Freshman Offensive Player of the Year . Moreno finished the season with 1 , 334 yards on 248 carries for 14 touchdowns . He also added 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions . Sophomore season . Knowshon Moreno began his sophomore campaign as a Heisman Trophy favorite . He opened the season with 59 yards on 8 carries for 3 touchdowns and 53 yards on two receptions for a total of 112 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 45 - 21 win over Georgia Southern . He also had a tackle on a kickoff . In the following 56 - 17 win over Central Michigan , Moreno rushed 18 times for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns . He also had 3 receptions for 30 yards , totaling 198 yards of total offense in the win . The game also provided Moreno with his highlight reel ' s iconic moment : a hurdle over an upright CMU defender . In the SEC opener for the Bulldogs against South Carolina , Moreno had 20 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown in the 14 - 7 win . Next , Moreno and the Bulldogs traveled to Arizona to defeat Arizona State 27 - 10 , led by his 149 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries . However , the Bulldogs ' undefeated record was broken in a 41 - 30 loss to Alabama . In the loss , Moreno was held to 34 yards and a score on 9 carries . It was the only game on the season in which he was held under 50 yards rushing and 50 yards of total offense . However , Moreno bounced back in the 26 - 14 win over Tennessee with 101 yards . However , he was held out of the endzone for the first time on the season . Georgia then defeated Vanderbilt 24 - 14 to improve their record to 6 - 1 , with Moreno rushing 23 times for a season - high 172 yards and a touchdown . Moreno added onto his season totals in the 52 - 38 victory against LSU with 163 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries . Moreno ' s totals in the two - week effort was 335 yards and two touchdowns on only 44 carries . However , Georgia was handed their second conference loss in a 49 - 10 rout against eventual national champion Florida , in which Moreno was held to 65 yards on 17 carries . Moreno closed out the season strong with 410 yards rushing , 235 receiving and accounted for six touchdowns in the games against Kentucky , Auburn , Georgia Tech and Michigan State . He finished the 2008 season with 1 , 792 yards of total offense ( 1 , 400 rushing on 250 carries and 392 yards on 33 receptions ) and scored 18 touchdowns ( 16 rushing , 2 receiving ) . He was named the team ' s offensive MVP . He finished second in Doak Walker award voting , behind Shonn Greene . He was named first - team All - SEC for the second consecutive year , and was a second - team All - American selection . On January 7 , 2009 , Moreno announced that he would enter the 2009 NFL Draft . Just after being drafted Moreno signed an endorsement deal with McDavidUSA and HEXPAD equipment . Professional career . 2009 NFL Draft . Moreno was considered the best running back available in the 2009 NFL Draft . Denver Broncos . Moreno was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 12th overall pick , which was their first of 2 first - round picks in the 2009 NFL Draft . Moreno chose to wear the number 27 on his jersey , the same number used by the late Darrent Williams . He received permission from Williams ' mother Rosalind . Knowshon said he would honor the number , and volunteer at the Darrent Williams Teen Center . On August 7 , 2009 , after an eight - day holdout , Moreno signed a five - year , $ 16 . 7 million contract with a $ 5 . 08 million club option for 2014 . The deal includes $ 13 . 135 million guaranteed and Moreno can earn an additional $ 6 . 3 million through incentives . On September 27 , 2009 , Moreno scored his first career NFL touchdown with a 7 yard run against the Oakland Raiders . During the 2011 season , Moreno split playing time with Willis McGahee , and soon lost the starting job due to McGahee ' s performance . Moreno still averaged a career - high 4 . 8 yards per carry . His season was cut short on November 15 , 2011 when the Broncos placed Moreno on the IR after he tore his ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs . Moreno returned to the playing field for the 2012 season and ran for a touchdown in the opening game win against the Pittsburgh Steelers . After he fumbled in the second game of the season against the Atlanta Falcons , Moreno was benched and was ruled inactive for 8 straight weeks . After Willis McGahee was placed on injured reserve with a leg and knee injury , Moreno was reactivated . Despite speculation that rookie Ronnie Hillman , McGahee ' s backup , would assume the starting role , Moreno was named the starting running back in the next game against the Kansas City Chiefs . In his first game back , Moreno put up solid numbers , rushing for 87 yards on 20 carries and catching four passes for 26 yards . Two games later in an away game against the Oakland Raiders , Moreno rushed for 119 yards on a career - high 32 carries and recorded a touchdown . He also had 4 catches for 48 yards in the game . In the following game against the Baltimore Ravens , Moreno rushed for 115 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown . In the game , he hurdled over an upright Ed Reed on a 20 yard rush . For that game against the Ravens , Moreno was named " AFC Offensive Player of the Week " and was named the " Fedex Ground Player of the Week . " Career Statistics . Source : Personal . Knowshon ' s first name is a portmanteau of his father ' s nickname , Knowledge , and his mother ' s name , Varashon .