KUSA – It might be the first round. It might be the fifth.
Regardless of round, evidence continues to compile that the Broncos are taking a quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft that is now three weeks away.
A league source told 9News that John Elway led a Broncos contingent that flew to North Carolina this week to work out Duke quarterback Daniel Jones. 9News had also reported the Broncos worked out Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson in the Chicagoland area on Wednesday
Meanwhile, 9News has also learned the Broncos will bring in highly touted Missouri quarterback Drew Lock for a top 30 pre-draft visit starting Sunday night and continuing into Monday.
Joe Flacco is the Broncos’ starting quarterback in 2019. Elway, Denver’s general manager, acquired Flacco from Baltimore last month in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
Kevin Hogan, a fourth-year pro, is the Broncos’ backup quarterback and former Colorado State standout Garrett Grayson, who is entering his fifth professional season, is the No. 3.
But where is the young quarterback to bring along just in case he develops into the next Tom Brady? Every team has a young one, even if the next Tom Brady is a once every half-century find.
The Broncos don’t have a young gun since releasing Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly last year. If the Broncos draft a quarterback like Thorson in the middle rounds, then Flacco won’t have to look over his shoulder this season.
If they draft a quarterback with their No. 10 overall pick like Lock or Jones, then Flacco as the starter is on borrowed time.
That’s just how it works in the NFL.
Jones is considered an accurate quarterback with a good head and feel for the game, but he does not have a very strong arm. He averaged 17 touchdown passes against 10 interceptions and 2,733 yards in his three seasons as a starter for Duke.
OK. Hardly spectacular.
Jones could fall to the Broncos’ No. 41 pick in the second round, but that’s probably his floor. He could also go in the first round, along with Lock, Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins.
Lock is expected to go in the first half of the first round. The Broncos also held formal combine interviews with Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham and West Virginia’s Will Grier. Those two are expected to go between the second and fifth rounds.
The Broncos have other needs besides quarterback. But whether it’s their franchise guy in the first round or a backup to bring along in the second, third, fourth or fifth rounds, all signs point to Elway taking a quarterback in the upcoming draft.
