Broncos GM George Paton Reveals What Traits he Likes in QBs Justin Fields & Trey Lance
As a first-year general manager, George Paton is staring down the barrel of a momentous decision that could alter the course of the Denver Broncos for years to come.
Holding the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, does Paton stay committed to Drew Lock as the starting quarterback — believing that two years of development and a full season in the scheme under his belt will pay dividends — or do the Broncos abandon that tack to select one of the top-5 signal-callers in the class?
Maybe what could help the Broncos' endeavor to turn the ship around in Year 1 of the Paton regime would be to draft the best non-QB blue-chip prospect at pick 9, or even trade back to acquire more premium-round selections. It's not an easy call and each path Paton is currently pondering comes with its unique risks and benefits.
As it pertains to the 2021 QB class, some insiders have reported that if Paton falls "in love" with a prospect, he'll move the requisite mountains to land him. Has the GM been overwhelmed by such amorous feelings for a QB prospect?
Paton talked about two QBs during his pre-draft presser earlier this week, after being asked to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of Ohio State's Justin Fields and North Dakota State's Trey Lance.
“They’re different. Both are elite athletes with really strong arms," Paton told reporters. "Both are really talented and smart. They have all the intangibles you want in quarterbacks and football players. They’re raw a little bit, but really high ceilings for both players.”
Sounds like a no-brainer then, right? Pump the brakes as Paton has said similar things about Lock since arriving in the Broncos' front office back in January.
"He does have all of the traits you look for in a quarterback," Paton said back in March in regards to Lock.
On Thursday, Paton was equally flattering of Lock's skill-set, saying, "As you know, he has a lot of talent."
In an effort to divine even a hint of whether Paton prefers a specific QB in this class, the first-year GM was asked to evaluate the first-round-caliber prospects on Thursday.
“I think it’s very strong. It just depends on what flavor you want," Paton said. "I think it’s a strong class. There could be five, maybe six drafted in the first round. That’s always really strong. It’s a really good class.”
Many mock drafts project a quarterback to be taken in each of the first four slots next week — which would be unprecedented in NFL history. Aside from Fields and Lance, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence (roundly viewed as QB1), BYU's Zach Wilson, and Alabama's Mac Jones round out the top-5 signal-callers.
Each of the five QBs listed above are projected to hear their names called during Round 1 and early. Paton touched on why this year's draft could see so many signal-callers go at the top of the first round.
“It’s the toughest position to play in sports. It’s the most important position to play in probably all sports," Paton said. "I’m generalizing, but you need a good quarterback to win and sustain year in and year out. You need a good one. Do you need a franchise guy or a top-5? No, you can still win without one. It’s so important to the team’s success to have a quarterback. That’s why you might see five go in the top 10.”
It's a got-man league and if you don't have your QB, or believe a player on-roster could soon blossom into a franchise-caliber guy, it's incumbent upon the GM to do whatever it takes to identify and acquire one.
Many fans are split on the question of whether the Broncos already have a future franchise QB in Lock. Media, too. What ultimately matters, though, is what Paton believes.
The GM has made obvious moves to show interest in Fields, Lance, and Wilson on the pre-draft trail. Should fans interpret Paton's interest at face value or is he simply a good poker player, doing his part to keep his counterpart GMs around the league guessing on what the Broncos will do come April 29?
None can say for sure but odds are, we'll have our answer by Friday morning of next week.
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