Finding Broncos | Pick 9: 8 QB Prospects with Many Questions to Answer at NFL Combine

With the NFL Combine around the corner, what can the top quarterbacks do to help their standing to a needy team like the Broncos?

Quarterback. That is, without a doubt, the biggest roster need the Denver Broncos have.

The Broncos have been missing a bonafide franchise quarterback since Peyton Manning retired, and as a result, they've struggled to field a competitive team. While the 2022 NFL draft class at quarterback isn't the best, there's a chance Denver could find a hidden gem, and the team needs to exhaust all avenues in finding that franchise guy.

Of course, the Broncos could have a quick way to solve the quarterback conundrum by making a trade for a big-time veteran. However, such a veteran would have to be made available by his respective team, and until that happens (big if), Denver has to be looking at the draft or else be willing to punt until 2023. 

If the Broncos decide to punt, fans need to be prepared for the likely outcome of another losing season. That subject is for a different article. 

This one is about what these draft prospects can do with the Combine around the corner to entice the Broncos to draft them with pick o. 9 overall or one of their five top-100 picks. Of course, there are always variables when it comes to predicting where a quarterback may fall in the draft, so what pick Denver ultimately used on such a selection is based on general chatter of where these prospects are ranked. 

Let's dive into the 2022 quarterback class. 

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Malik Willis | Liberty

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Of all the quarterbacks in the class, Willis not only has the most tools, but he also has the most work to reach consistency with his technique. As we have seen in recent years, tools are something teams bet on because such traits can't be taught. Football, however, can be. 

If Willis participates in any of the athletic tests at Lucas Oil Stadium, it wouldn't be surprising to see him stand out. To be in the running for Denver's No. 9 overall pick, what he needs to do at the Combine comes down to the interviews. 

How well can Willis read NFL defenses and adapt to them in the film room? All the on-field tools are there, but to help those tools, a quarterback must have a football IQ, or he ends up as another talented draft pick who couldn't handle the mental demands of being an NFL starter. 

Kenny Pickett | Pittsburgh

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Pickett is in a rough position because he has a decent combination of tools and football IQ. However, his hands are small, and there are many executives in the NFL with strict thresholds of 9.25 inches for hand size and Pickett is expected to come a full inch under that. In addition, some speculate that his double-jointed thumb helps hold a football, but his college tape doesn't back that claim up. 

So what can Pickett do? First, he has to show the hand size isn't as big of a deal as it's made out to be, but it would be hard to overcome all the instances on tape of it being problematic. His high rate of fumbles was a significant issue. 

Another aspect is Pickett showing can be more consistent with his velocity on his throws, as he has many passes on tape where the nose dives, leading to problematic throws. If Broncos GM George Paton, head coach Nathaniel Hackett, or someone else is a stickler for hand size, it'd be hard for Pickett to put himself in contention for the No. 9 overall pick. 

Carson Strong | Nevada

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This pre-draft process has done Strong zero favors with his stock so he needs to show and answer a lot at the Combine, especially after his lackluster Senior Bowl. Concerns were coming out about him in the interview room and not knowing exactly what he was looking at on the whiteboard. While he knows his offense from Nevada, he struggled to break down concepts outside of what the Wolfpack did.

At the Combine, teams will get to check out Strong's knee, which is one of the biggest questions there is about him. Next, he will have a chance to answer questions about mobility. He isn't a pocket statue and has solid maneuverability, but outside a schemed moving pocket, Strong's mobility is questionable. 

Finally, he will have to answer concerns that popped up about his arm from the Senior Bowl due to being fourth of six quarterbacks in average initial airspeed and average spin rate. While Strong isn't an option at pick 9, he could be in play at either pick 40 or 64 in the second round if he can answer those concerns for the Broncos. 

Matt Corral | Ole Miss

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A late injury will be scrutinized for Corral at the Combine and teams will want to know whether there are going to be lingering issues or potential problems arising from it. Outside of that, all the questions Corral needs to answer come in the team interviews. He ran a heavy run/pass option system in college, and quarterbacks from those schemes have a hard time transitioning to the NFL level. 

In those interviews, if Corral shows that he can understand and recall NFL concepts, prove he can make the right reads on the whiteboard, and understand the more complicated aspects of being an NFL quarterback, it'd alleviate many misgivings. 

Whichever team drafts Corral could include RPO concepts, but he has to show more outside of it mentally especially when the wide-open read isn't there. Can he make the difficult reads and scan a defense?

The scheme Nathaniel Hackett is implementing can work for Corral, and if he can answer those questions, he could be a quarterback option for them at nine overall. 

Sam Howell | North Carolina

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There isn't a lot that Howell can do at the Combine to help himself in the eyes of the Broncos. His concerns were primarily a decline in play that could have many causes behind it. But unfortunately, despite everything at the Combine, there isn't a way to determine which of those reasons are viable and plausible. 

Any player can help himself in interviews by showing intelligence, maturity, and professionalism. That's one way Howell can help himself, even though there aren't concerns about those areas. Howell is viewed as a second-round pick and could be an option for the Broncos, who have to selections in that round.

Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati

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The NFL Combine is a setting where Ridder is primed to be successful. It cuts down on the pressure of game settings or even practice settings, and he can focus on the fundamentals of being a quarterback. 

In some ways, such an environment can lead to NFL teams getting duped with a QB's technique looking clean and his footwork being sound. Both of those are significant concerns from watching Ridder's tape, so that is one area he can help himself. 

On top of that, Ridder must do well in interviews for many of the same reasons as other quarterbacks on this list. His offense at Cincinnati isn't the easiest to translate to the NFL, so he must show he can pick up on NFL concepts and remember them. 

He has the tools and traits to work with and be effective in Hackett's system, but the question is where Ridder's draft value is. Most suggest second-round, but he could entice a team to jump in the first round for the added fifth-year option. 

Bailey Zappe | Western Kentucky

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Zappe is an interesting, safe option in the draft somewhere on Day 3 that could potentially develop into a solid backup quarterback. However, he needs to show more athleticism, arm talent, and just physical attributes at the Combine. 

Additionally, answering any questions in the interviews related to film and reads also would boost his stock, even though he showed good decision-making and reads on tape. 

Kaleb Eleby | Western Michigan

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When looking for a Day 3 prospect that fits Hackett's scheme, Eleby is almost a match made in heaven. The issue is his overall size, and a lack of arm talent to push the ball, which Hackett has said is a key point of his offense. 

If Eleby can show more velocity and overall arm talent at the Combine, he could catch the eyes of the Broncos. 

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