Albert Breer predicts Broncos land Josh Rosen, Case Keenum
Albert Breer of the MMQB predicts in his 2018 NFL mock draft that the Denver Broncos will land Case Keenum and Josh Rosen at the QB position…
Many NFL insiders right now feel the race to get Kirk Cousins is a two-team derby between the New York Jets and Denver Broncos, and Albert Breer of the MMQB had an interesting projection in his latest 2018 NFL mock draft.
Breer’s mock had the Broncos selecting UCLA star quarterback Josh Rosen, the third quarterback off the board in this scenario, but his explanation of the pick had another interesting little nugget in it.
Here’s what he said:
"The fifth and sixth picks could hinge on where Kirk Cousins lands. I’m going with a Case Keenum/Rosen pairing in Denver, and this could be a grand slam. Rosen is the most gifted QB in this year’s crop.Albert Breer, MMQB"
This is an interesting projection because we’ve heard in recent weeks that if the Broncos are unable to land Cousins, they would sign another free agent quarterback and then use the fifth overall pick to draft a player at the same position.
However, we’ve also come to learn that the Broncos’ preference is likely to sign a starting quarterback and use the fifth overall pick on another position of need.
Of course, Rosen being available at number five overall could change all of that.
If the Broncos sign Case Keenum, here’s my problem with drafting a quarterback at number five overall:
You will have to invest, let’s say a minimum of $19-21 million annually in Keenum. We’ve seen players with less experience (Brock Osweiler), less ability (Mike Glennon), and generally less leadership skills get signed for anywhere between $15-18 million per season at the quarterback position.
Keenum played 16 games for the Vikings this past season, including the playoffs, where he helped lead the team to an NFC Championship appearance.
It wasn’t like Keenum was being dragged along by the Vikings’ defense, either. He was operating very efficiently and very effectively within Pat Shurmur’s offense week in and week out.
Despite being 30 years old, Keenum is proving he’s playing the best football of his life, and he’s going to want some stability on a multi-year contract with some nice financial guarantees, which to this point in his NFL career, he hasn’t really gotten.
If the Broncos are going to be the team that signs Keenum, they’re going to have to pay up. He’s not just going to take a discount to come to this situation or any other situation for that matter. While Kirk Cousins has made a ton of money the past two seasons and can afford to be picky about his situation — literally — Keenum is a guy who deserves some recognition in the form of a big pay day, and at least on a three-year deal.
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If you’re paying Keenum big money over a three- or four-year deal, even if there’s a couple of favorable team options in there, does it really make sense to draft a quarterback at number five overall as well?
Then you would have a big money quarterback and two first round players on the roster, all of which carry major question marks.
Maybe just having Rosen in general would make this all worth it?
Who knows?
This, to me, seems like a very non-ideal scenario, even though the Broncos would be getting Rosen or even Keenum for that matter. I think they need to pick a guy, and if they’re going to spend significant cash in free agency, go after another position at the top of the draft.
If you can find a way to get a bargain in free agency, then spend that top five draft pick on a guy who you know is going to be the present and future of the organization.