PFF Throws Shade at Drew Lock After Mocking a Top-10 QB to Broncos: Is it Justified?

The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and teams that don't know whether they have their guy will continue to wander the proverbial desert. Drew Lock has not been good enough to warrant that level of confidence from the Denver Broncos quite yet.

Lock failed to lay hold of the mantle of being The Guy last season, but could he be down the line? That's up to GM George Paton and the Broncos to decide.

If you were wondering what Pro Football Focus’ lead draft analyst Mike Renner’s thoughts were on Lock and the quarterback position in Denver, look no further than his most recent mock draft where he had the Broncos trading up from pick No. 9 to No. 7 to take North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.

With mouth-watering tools but a butt-clenching lack of experience, Lance will likely wind up the single most polarizing player in the 2021 NFL draft. Given the massive hits of 'raw but athletically toolsy' quarterbacks over recent drafts like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, and Justin Herbert, Lance will draw the eye of the NFL, inexperienced or not.

While Renner did not dive into too much detail for the Broncos’ pick of Lance in his written-up mock, he and 2-for-1 Drafts podcast co-host Austin Gayle went into greater specifics on Monday's show in regards to the team's quarterback position, Lock, and Lance.

Here's an interesting exchange between Renner and Gayle that frankly reveals the national view on Lock and the Broncos coming out of 2020.

Gayle: “A lot of the reports I have seen are that they (Denver Broncos’ Decision Makers) are confident in Drew Lock but want to bring in a veteran to compete. I have heard Gardner Minshew as a name which is absurd. *audible groans of pain and disapproval from Renner in the background* “Do you think this (drafting Lance) is a way better decision? Obviously, you do but what is your take on Trey Lance to Denver?”

Renner: “I think Trey Lance makes a lot of sense to the Denver Broncos. A cannon for an arm. Not a guy year one. He’s going to come in, Drew Lock is going to get a shot (in 2021). You get to keep Drew Lock, you get to give him that other year that so many Broncos Fans want… or rather 'some' Broncos’ fans that are still holding out hope that (Lock) can be ‘that guy’. That’s fine, Lance then gets to sit on the bench and see what not to do. He gets to see ‘Hey, this is how I don't play the game of football’ then he comes in on year two and Lance balls.”

Gayle: “I honestly think this is an ideal scenario for Denver. I agree and I even think that there are some parts of this front office that want to give Drew Lock another opportunity with this young receiving corps, this offense, whatever… You get to do (see what Lock does with another year) with Trey Lance. Lance has only played in one game over the past 12 plus months. You’re not going to start him Week 1 but you do have him as that developmental piece behind Drew Lock and if Drew Lock tanks; you’re in a good position to give Trey Lance some opportunities or let him (Lock) tank for 16 games and get a higher draft pick and fit Lance with some weapons going into 2022.”

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Job Security

If the Broncos' current coaching regime had job security going into the 2021 season, this likely would be a fine and dandy philosophy. Sure, some will state it is a misuse of resources at the quarterback position, but there is no guarantee Denver will be remotely near the top of the draft in 2022 which is currently projected to have far less top-end talent at the position.

If Denver had two good options at quarterback after drafting Lance and assuming Lock figures it out next year, that would be a good problem to have. However, not everyone has that level of job security in Denver to make such a decision, specifically that of the coaching staff.

Can Fangio survive another flub season as the head coach? Renner and Gayle further delved into this specific on their most recent show:

Gayle: “If (the Broncos) do go with this strategy I hope the front office lets him know and Vic Fangio lets them know ‘I am not on the hot seat if you want me to start Drew Lock for 16 games next year.' Some people have asked me about Fangio — ‘Why hasn’t he been fired?’ and I’m like ‘Are you serious?!’ This guy should not be on the hot seat. He’s working with bad parts. This quarterback has not played well. (Rather) Drew Lock is on the hot seat. There are people who want Vic Fangio out of Denver more than they want Drew Lock out of Denver and I just can’t get on board with that. I just can’t.”

Renner: “They lost their best defensive player and they still had one of the better defenses this year.”

Gayle: “They had absolute shambles in the secondary and still were one of the more productive units this year.”

Renner: “They lost so many guys and they still had a lights-out defense because Vic Fangio is one of the best defensive schemers in the game.”

Gayle: “If Denver lets Fangio get out of there I would be floored. Like they let Drew Lock tank them into three or four wins and then they move on from Fangio? I would hate to see that. I really would.”

Harsh Reality

The PFF guys pull no punches when it comes to allocating blame for the recent ineptitude of the Broncos, which starts and ends with the issues at quarterback. While Fangio has not been a stalwart at head coach, specifically making clock management errors far too often and harming the team by being overly conservative too consistently, the podcast duo has a good point.

The Broncos had an absolutely decimated defense this season, specifically at the cornerback and defensive line positions (and not coincidentally the two most valuable positions on the defense).

Will the Broncos be interested in Lance enough to trade up for him? Can Denver draft a quarterback in the top-10 that likely needs to sit for a year before seeing the field? Is Lance a fit for what offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur wants to do on offense?

Just how tantalizing do those tools have to be in order to overcome the inexperience concerns against quality opponents? Lance has a better combination of arm talent and athleticism of any quarterback in the class, but while the tool kit is overflowing, does he have the necessary skills to take advantage of his raw traits?

Therein lies the question that will likely keep many NFL decision-makers up at night leading up until the draft.

Bottom Line

Some may be offended by the tonality surrounding Lock this offseason but that is just the reality of rostering a QB who was bottom-5 in the entire NFL. Until Lock plays better, doubts and criticism will continue to surround him.

Given the value of the quarterback position, the Broncos will continue to be linked to quarterbacks all offseason. If a team doesn’t know it has a franchise-caliber quarterback, it will be linked to other options just as the Broncos have and will continue to be for the rest of the offseason.

If you don’t have a known commodity under center, you're going nowhere fast. That’s just life in the NFL in the year 2021.

Follow Nick on Twitter @NickKendellMHH and @MileHighHuddle.