INDIANAPOLIS — A media mob was waiting in front of the podium for No. 1 quarterback draft prospect Kenny Pickett when the curious inquisitors started creaking their necks to the left.
Pickett was late, hung up in medical exams, leaving another quarterback, Carson Strong of Nevada, to hold court on the next-door podium.
“I know the media, especially, says this draft class for quarterbacks is weak or whatever,’’ Strong said in the type of statement that turns heads. “But I think there's a ton of good quarterbacks in this draft class.’’
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The prevailing chatter is none of the quarterbacks – maybe Pickett, maybe not; maybe Malik Willis, maybe not – is worthy of the Denver Broncos’ No. 9 overall pick in the first round.
Strong is generally considered the 7th-best quarterback in this draft class even though he may have the most prototype frame at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds. He only met informally with the Broncos this week but that was because he already had a lengthy chat with Denver General Manager George Paton and other Denver scouts at the Senior Bowl last month.
North Carolina’s Sam Howell, who is considered the No. 2 to 5th-best QB in this class, had a formal interview with the Broncos’ contingent on Monday night.
“It was kind of cool just to meet with those guys, just because that was my first time meeting Coach Hackett,’’ Howell said. “It was kind of cool just to get to know him a little bit.’’
As the media continued to wait for Pickett, who was supposed to meet the media at 10:30 a.m. Indy time, Liberty’s Malik Willis stepped in to keep his 11 a.m. appointment. A slender, 6-foot, run-pass QB from Liberty by way of Auburn, Willis is naturally funny and carries the type of hip demeanor you’d like to hang out with, even if he doesn’t use the rehearsed platitudes common among quarterback leaders.
Asked if he should be the first quarterback taken, Willis said: “I think so. But it’s not my decision. I hate that for me.”
"Malik Willis is a freak athlete who can sling the ball,’’ Strong said. “I think that this quarterback class just gets a lot of crap that we don't deserve. Maybe I'm being personal and biased because I'm in it, but I think that there's a lot of guys who have a ton of potential to be really good in the league.’’
All the top quarterbacks were impressive in their own unique way during their interview sessions Wednesday. Ole Miss’ Matt Corral has been asked by teams if he had regrets about deciding to play in his Senior bowl game, where he suffered a severe high ankle sprain.
“Absolutely not, I wouldn’t be in that position without those guys,’’ Corral told the media Wednesday. “I never thought about opting out until teammates came up to me asking if I was going to play or not. It was never a thought in my mind. I was going to play regardless.’’
After Corral, Strong, Howell, Willis and Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder all held their media sessions, it was finally time for Pickett. He had spoke about how he received consultation from Peyton Manning last year when it came time to decide between coming out for the draft, or staying in college for a second senior season - fifth overall - at Pitt.
He stayed, just as Manning did in 1997 for his true senior season at Tennessee.
And it’s a good thing Pickett did. He tossed just 13 touchdowns with 9 interceptions in 9 games of his first senior season of 2020 before opting out of the Peach Bowl, saying goodbye to Pitt on Twitter and then having his coach say goodbye to him.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound quarterback-handsome Pickett changed his mind and used the COVID-related waiver to return for a second, senior season. He threw for 4,317 yards and 42 touchdowns against just 7 picks.
He is considered the most NFL-ready QB because he played in a pro, West Coast-like offensive system. On Monday, he was among the quarterbacks who had a formal interview with the Broncos.
“It went really well,’’ Pickett said. “I think it’d be a great fit and I’d be really excited to play there.’’
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