Are the Denver Broncos unlikely to take a 1st round QB?

Nov 14, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) prepares to throw the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. The Cougars won 35-34. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) prepares to throw the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. The Cougars won 35-34. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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NFL insider Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says that he’s hearing the Denver Broncos are not likely to use a 1st round pick on the QB position…

With all the talk about the Denver Broncos and the quarterback position, CBS NFL insider Jason La Canfora provided us an interesting nugget on Monday.

In a mock draft that he completed with a seasoned NFL scout, the Broncos came away from the 1st round with Paxton Lynch. Here’s what La Canfora said about the pick, which was made by both he and the scout…

“I hear Broncos are unlikely to go QB here, and I believe Lynch is gone well before this … but you’ll have to wait until Thursday to find out exactly.”

This would seem to take a dump on everything that we’ve heard about in the last week, which is that the Broncos are definitely in the market for a QB in the first round, and certainly Lynch would be in play for them. Not only that, but there’s been talk of the Broncos being interested in moving up in the draft, presumably for a quarterback.

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I don’t know what kind of legitimacy there is to La Canfora’s info here, but it would make sense considering the fact that John Elway has taken defense every year of his time as the lead decision-maker in Denver. Defense is also what got the Broncos to the point they are right now, which is the Champions of the world.

If Denver feels good about 2nd and 3rd round options at quarterback, they could easily still go defense in the first round or possibly even offensive line, but I don’t see the Broncos using two straight picks on the offensive side of the ball to start the draft. Elway knows how important the defense is to this team’s success.

Of course, it’s hard to believe most of what you hear at this point prior to the draft, but this wouldn’t be out of character for the Broncos. Taking a 1st round quarterback would also take the Colin Kaepernick trade off the table.