Insider 'Would Guess' Broncos Will 'Jump' if Trey Lance or Justin Fields 'Are There' in Draft

The Denver Broncos have a big, pivotal, absolutely momentous decision to make. Stick it out with Drew Lock one last year in hopes that his 18 starts and second-straight year in Pat Shurmur's offense will pay dividends or cut bait and start over with a top-10 quarterback?

I don't envy GM George Paton his decision. Lock has shown tremendous flashes at times, tantalizing all lookers with glimpses of that enormous ceiling he has. But the game isn't played in-potentia. It's played on the grid-iron.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have to make hay while the sun is shining and holding the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, I assure you — the sun is a-shinin'. With Jacksonville projected to draft Clemson's Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall, followed by the New York Jets taking BYU's Zach Wilson at No. 2, San Francisco maneuvered into the top-3 last week in order to land a QB.

It could be North Dakota State's Trey Lance, it could be Ohio State's Justin Fields — some even theorize that it could be Alabama's Mac Jones, though that is the height of tinfoil-hat. Whatever happens in the top-3, there's a decent chance either Lance or Fields, or maybe even Wilson, could drop beyond the top-5 and be there within striking distance for Denver.

Would Paton pull the trigger to move up? He'd have to be willing to trade because none of the aforementioned QBs besides Jones would get past Carolina at pick No. 8. The Colorado Springs Gazette's Woody Paige has been "working the room" and based on what he's gleaned from his highly-placed sources in Dove Valley, he speculates Paton would indeed "jump" if one of those three QBs falls to within striking distance.

Paige sees a trade-back as the most likely eventuality, and the Broncos coming away with Penn State's phenom linebacker Micah Parsons, but it depends on how the QB board falls ahead of Paton.

But if Sir Lance A Lot or Fields of Dreams are there or close to there at draft the Broncos will jump up.
— Woody Paige (@woodypaige) March 30, 2021

"It’s very difficult to get a handle on George Paton. I would guess the Broncos will trade back and draft Micah Parsons. But I’m working the room to find out," Paige tweeted on Monday. "But if Sir Lance A Lot or Fields of Dreams are there or close to there at [the] draft, the Broncos will jump up."

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Paige is as bonafide as it gets in Denver media. Quarterback is most definitely on the brain for Paton as he's traveled to scout Lance, Wilson, and Fields in-person.

The bottom line is, for all of Lock's flashes, he also showed some seriously concerning signs of regression last season, especially from Week 7 through Week 10. Muddying the water for Paton is the fact that 2020 brought so many mitigating factors into the equation that it's difficult to ascertain whether to take Lock's struggles at face value or chalk it up to the lack of OTAs, no preseason, a significantly altered training camp, and lastly (but not least), an injury to his throwing shoulder in Week 2.

None of those mitigating factors I just listed mention that Lock also had to navigate those stormy 2020 waters in a brand-new offense with a coordinator he didn't meet in the flesh until late July. How does Paton make heads or tails of it all?

Only time will tell what the Broncos do on draft day but tip your cap to Paton because after knocking it out of the park in free agency, he's done a great job of keeping everyone guessing on what his true plans are in the top-10. Paton's got the freedom to go a multitude of directions, which is why nobody can get an accurate, rock-solid bead on what he's thinking.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

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