Todd McShay says it’s quarterback or bust for Denver Broncos

Is it quarterback or bust in the 2018 NFL Draft for the Denver Broncos? According to ESPN’s Todd McShay, it absolutely is…

We brought you a four-round Denver Broncos mock draft on Wednesday, as the 2017 season painfully is still four weeks from its end.

As I was perusing some league-wide NFL Draft material, I stumbled upon a 25-question session involving ESPN’s Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr.

McShay and Kiper are obviously big names in the NFL Draft community, and despite the public opinion surrounding them both, I respect their opinion about the draft because of how hard they work on prospects every year.

In the questionnaire, McShay was asked about the Broncos’ quarterback situation, and specifically whether or not having a top 10 pick in 2018 made their situation a ‘quarterback or bust’ one…

"“Yes. Denver should be ready to pull the trigger on another first-round quarterback, even after taking Paxton Lynch at No. 26 overall in 2016. Lynch has thrown only 97 passes in two seasons, but Allen and Mayfield could be upgrades if Rosen and Darnold are off the board. I said in 2016 that it was a reach for Lynch to go in the first round, as he was more of a developmental prospect, and the Broncos shouldn’t shy away from this QB class because of him.”— Todd McShay, ESPN"

First of all, McShay brought to light a statistic that I hadn’t even thought of up to this point. Paxton Lynch, in the two seasons he’s been with Denver, has not even thrown 100 passes.

That is a failure on the part of the management and coaching staff to get on the same page and get a guy live reps. It’s obviously got something to do with the fact that Lynch has been hurt, but not even having 100 career passes is just as much on the Broncos as it is on the player himself.

Second, it’s staggering that both McShay and Kiper think Josh Allen of Wyoming is still going to be a top 10 draft pick. They aren’t alone, either. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report recently mocked Allen to Denver with the fourth overall pick.

In terms of size, athletic ability, and arm strength, Allen certainly fits the bill of what John Elway has looked for in the past in quarterbacks.

Any selection of Allen by the Broncos prior to round three, however, would infuriate me.

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I have talked myself into him as a legitimate developmental player, but he’s going to take time to develop. Allen is just not accurate right now with the football.

The most NFL-ready quarterback in this year’s class is Josh Rosen. The player with perhaps the highest ceiling physically and athletically is Lamar Jackson. The biggest arm belongs to either Jackson or Allen, though most would probably say Allen.

The player with the best intangibles is Sam Darnold. The most accurate quarterback in this class is Baker Mayfield.

The Broncos have a buffet of options and simply need to make the right decision this time around. McShay isn’t wrong, in my opinion, even though just earlier today I predicted the Broncos could draft a tackle at number four overall, and get a quarterback later in the first via trade.

If it’s quarterback or bust in the top 10, the only way I think the Broncos can screw it up is by taking Josh Allen, who isn’t ready to play year one.