Five reasons Broncos QB Trevor Siemian is underrated

1. The Obvious: Draft Status

One of the classic reasons why people underrate Trevor Siemian is draft status. When you are selected at the bottom of the seventh round in the same draft as Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, it’s not uncommon to go a bit overlooked.

In Mariota’s first 16 starts in the NFL (12 in 2015, first four of 2016) he threw for 3,743 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. The Titans went 4-12 in those games.

In Winston’s first 16 NFL starts, he threw for 4,022 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. That was the entirety of his rookie season, when the Bucs went 6-10.

The Broncos, who have been much more talented across the board than either of those teams, have gone 10-6 in Trevor’s first 16 starts, in which he has passed for 3,851 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

The sample size is simply larger at this point for both guys, as Siemian just completed his 16th NFL start, which includes a game against Winston and the Bucs where he was rolling prior to getting injured and not able to finish.

Of course the expectations are higher for guys like Winston and Mariota, but why are people so quick to write off Siemian? Heck, even the Broncos’ front office traded up in the first round for a quarterback prior to seeing Siemian get a shot in regular season action.

Like with any position in the NFL, the hierarchy of draft status plays a role more often than we’d like it to. Thankfully for Siemian and the Broncos, he got his chance and has proven to be an excellent value.