Insider Casts Doubt on Broncos Viewing Any 2022 QB Prospect Worthy of Top-10 Pick
The NFL Combine has officially kicked off in Indianapolis. This year, the questions surrounding the Denver Broncos are the same that have plagued the organization since Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset following Super Bowl 50.
What in the heck are the Broncos going to do to fix the quarterback position?
Over the last year, the Broncos have been linked to a number of quarterbacks. Denver missed out on acquiring Matthew Stafford last offseason and its interest in Deshaun Watson came to a halt following the Houston QB's numerous sexual assault allegations, the Broncos' linkage to veteran signal-callers the league over has only expanded.
With Denver still holding out some hope that back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers will become available, to the likes of Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins possibly being on the trading block, there are some interesting names that the Broncos could pursue this offseason once again.
Unfortunately for the Broncos and emphatically unlikely last season, the top of the 2022 NFL draft class at quarterback seems to be lagging behind the top of its 2021 counterpart. Denver never had a chance at Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, or Trey Lance who went 1, 2, and 3 last year, respectively, but GM George Paton did decide that cornerback Patrick Surtain II was a better selection than the likes of Justin Fields or Mac Jones.
Surtain looks like a heck of a quarterback and just how the 2021 class of quarterbacks plays out is to be determined, but Denver finds itself in the same boat it did one year ago — picking at No. 9 in the draft and in desperate need of a quarterback.
This time around, it seems like there simply won’t be the caliber of quarterback prospects worthy of a swing at No. 9 overall selection. In a recent TV broadcast, 9NEWS' Mike Klis revealed that Denver may well be looking at the quarterback position, having formally interviewed Ole Miss’ Matt Corral, Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, and Liberty’s Malik Willis, but are any truly worthy of the No. 9 overall pick and the years of commitment that typically accompany top ten draft picks at the quarterback position?
Here's what Klis reported.
“By all accounts these quarterbacks seem like they are not quite ready to be the number nine overall pick. I think the Broncos with all those extra picks they have in the second and third round could trade back later into the first round and get a quarterback. I would be surprised if they don’t wind up with a quarterback within at least the first two rounds of this draft.”
Will the Broncos pick a quarterback this time around? Alas, the current consensus is that last year’s crop of quarterbacks (as well as the overall quality of prospects available at the top in this class) just don’t measure up as being worthy of a top-10 pick in the draft.
Things could change and Denver could convince itself on a prospect, but doing so for a lesser prospect in a down year at the top of a quarterback class is how a team finds itself in a situation like the New York Giants are entering Year 4 under consensus reach Daniel Jones with nothing to show for it besides three new coaching staffs in three years.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t talented options that are worth a roll of the dice. As Broncos Country is quickly finding out, your team isn’t anything in the NFL until it has a legitimate option at quarterback.
Given that none of these quarterbacks are likely worthy of a top-10 pick, any signal-caller Denver would draft on Day 2 (or even if it traded back up into the tail-end of Round 1) should be viewed as nothing more than a lottery ticket.
If the Broncos hit on a QB, though, their window opens and with a talented surrounding roster, perhaps the team could climb back into relevancy. However, said quarterback must be viewed as a lottery ticket and nothing more until emphatically proven otherwise.
It’s not a roll of the dice that will cost those in Dove Valley their jobs, but waiting on a statistical improbability to prove to be an exception to the rule would be folly. Denver may want to walk out with a quarterback at the end of Round 1 or 2 this year, but outside of a brilliant rookie-of-the-year caliber of performance, Paton and the Broncos should be once again looking to add a premium investment at the quarterback position.
Until the Broncos know they have their guy, there is no such thing as overdoing it when trying to upgrade the most important position in the game.
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