The Denver Broncos have been searching for the next quarterback since Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset a Super Bowl champion in 2016.
Since then, they struck out on draft picks – Trevor Siemian and first-rounder Paxton Lynch – and veteran free agents Case Keenum and Joe Flacco were mediocre at best. No way any of those guys could lead Denver to a Super Bowl of their own.
And the Broncos went back to the well again in 2019, selecting Drew Lock in the second round of the NFL Draft that year. In his first two seasons, he’s been injured twice, started a mere 18 games and has been arguably the most inconsistent quarterback in the league.
Now, Denver picks at No. 9 overall and would seemingly like to take a quarterback. Unfortunately, even in this QB-stacked draft, all four top gun-slingers may be gone by pick No. 5.
Lock has some upside, certainly, but it’s clear new GM George Paton isn’t sold on what he’s seen on tape. The Broncos went after Matthew Stafford and possibly Carson Wentz, too, the last couple of months and they’ve been rumored to be interested in Deshaun Watson.
And yesterday, Paton along with head of scouting Brian Stark and QBs coach Mike Shula, all went to North Dakota to observe Trey Lance’s Pro Day. The Broncos weren’t the only ones there, basically the entire league was represented. But, Paton was one of nine GMs to head to North Dakota and see the FCS quarterback throw passes from the pocket to his own receivers.
The Broncos have been projected many times to pick Lance at No. 9, but according to Benjamin Allbright, the Atlanta Falcons are in love with him and may take Lance at No. 4. That would mean trading with Miami for the No. 3 pick, which could cost next year’s first-round pick and a third-rounder this year.
Also interesting is the fact that Paton came from Minnesota, near North Dakota, where he scouted the fantastic program for years. Oh, and there are likely three players – Lance, lineman Dillon Radunz and linebacker Jabril Cox who transferred to LSU – who could all be drafted in the top 50. So, Denver was likely looking at Radunz, too.
But, Lance is the spotlight. And the last time the Broncos were outwardly enamored with a QB was back in 2018.
Three years ago, the Broncos coaching staff led the North at the Senior Bowl because Denver was awful in 2017. And Denver actually asked to coach Baker Mayfield because they were so impressed with what they’d seen from him at Oklahoma, winning the Heisman Trophy and taking his team to the Rose Bowl as a senior.
The Broncos loved Mayfield and would have drafted him, but he went No. 1 overall that year to the Cleveland Browns. It’s been a bit of an up-and-down ride for Mayfield, but in this third year he blossomed and became more efficient while pushing his Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
Ironically, the Broncos also coached Josh Allen at the Senior Bowl that year. The big, strong-armed and mobile quarterback from a small school (sound familiar?) was skipped on by John Elway and Denver, with the Broncos picking Bradley Chubb at No. 5 overall instead.
After two tough seasons, Allen became a star out of nowhere in 2020, leaving Broncos fans wanting him and forgetting how good Chubb has been outside of his injury-shortened 2019 season.
Where would the Broncos be if they had Mayfield or Allen? Definitely not talking about quarterback in this draft. Of course, Elway may still be the GM and there’s little chance Denver would be picking 9th overall, either.
The simple truth is Denver is still in search of their next great quarterback. Simply “good” or mediocre or pedestrian won’t do.
Look at the last four teams in the playoffs last year and their quarterbacks. Tom Brady, Allen, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes. They’re all top-10, if not top-5 quarterbacks in today’s game.
If the Broncos think Lance – or Justin Fields, for that matter – is “the guy,” they should do everything it takes to go for them, even if it means trading up six spots. But, with taking any quarterback, there’s risk. For Lance, not only did he play at a much smaller school and against worse competition, he only played one full season in college, in 2019.
What Denver does next is anyone’s guess.
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March 14, 2021 at 03:20AM
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The last time Broncos were this enamored with a QB was 2018 - Mile High Sports
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