Broncos Camp: Melvin Gordon Shares his Initial Impressions of Drew Lock

Fans across the NFL have been excited to have training camps fully underway with the 2020 season just around the corner. The energy levels at UC Health Center have been impressive thus far, even without fans in attendance.

One of the reasons for that is second-year QB Drew Lock. Lock stepped in as the Denver Broncos' starter down the stretch last year, leading the team to a 4-1 finish and energizing the locker room.

Running back Melvin Gordon, whom the Denver Broncos signed as a prized free agent this past spring, wasn't around for Lock's debut last year but has already sensed a high level of intensity from his new, young signal-caller.

"Like I said, he’s a fiery quarterback. He wants to be great," Gordon said of Lock following Sunday's training camp practice. "He wants to learn and he’s hard on himself. Anytime he makes a bad throw, whether it’s pass-catching, skeleton [drills], or anything, he’s like, ‘Hey, Mel, let’s run it back on the side. Let’s run that play back over.’"

That kind of burning desire to get it right, combined with the work ethic to improve, has traditionally marked out young quarterbacks for future success. Putting all the ingredients together, the 23-year-old signal-caller seems to be the genuine article and leader of the franchise entering only Year 2 of his career.

While Lock is not Peyton Manning just yet, it’s the young QB’s total commitment to being a student of the game that is jumping out to Gordon straight away.

"He wants to be a perfectionist and I feel like as a quarterback—in some type of fashion—you have to be and think like that in a sense," Gordon said of Lock. "Like I said, he’s a competitive person and I like that. I like that in a quarterback."

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Gordon has been following the lead of his QB during the early stages of camp as he locks horns with Phillip Lindsay in a battle to be the No. 1 tailback in 2020. High levels of competition to decide depth chart supremacy exemplifies the 'iron sharpens iron' ethos that helps galvanize a team late in the season when the going gets rough.

Gordon spent a long time sharing a backfield with ex-Chargers QB Philip Rivers during the time they spent together in Los Angeles, and thus, the veteran running back knows the benefit of having a strong leader under center.

"I like a guy that’s going to put it all out there on the line for you, and I feel like on game day, he’s going to give us that," Gordon said of Lock. "You like to be led by guys like that.”

What’s important to understand is just how quickly Lock is winning over the more experienced members of his own locker room. It’s a crucial part of his growth trajectory to assume the leadership mantle on a young team that is just starting to really believe in itself.

Tougher days will inevitably come as the heat of training camp only increases, especially with the pads going on on Monday, but ‘Flash Gordon’ seems to be already an early disciple of Lock's enthusiastic leadership.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.