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John Elway: Options at fifth pick are “wide open”

By Graham Tiedtke

ENGLEWOOD, CO - JANUARY 12: Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway fields questions from the media during a press conference to introduce Vance Josepf as the new head coach at the Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Broncos Centre on January 12, 2017 in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
ENGLEWOOD, CO - JANUARY 12: Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway fields questions from the media during a press conference to introduce Vance Josepf as the new head coach at the Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Broncos Centre on January 12, 2017 in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Denver Broncos general manager John Elway is keeping his options open as to whom the team could draft fifth overall at the 2018 NFL Draft.

The 2018 NFL Draft just 32 days away. Teams are nearing the time in which they will be setting their final draft board. John Elway isn’t set one one specific player with the fifth overall pick.

At league meetings today, John Elway said that there are multiple possibilities for the team with the fifth overall pick. ”We’re wide open to be dead honest with you.”

John Elway acknowledged that the team still has to do their homework in preparation for the draft. “I will tell ya, it’s funny how people think they know who you’re drafting because I don’t know who we’re drafting yet. We’re going to do our homework and eventually get there.’’

Up until the draft, there will be countless mock drafts. There are endless possibilities. A lot of things can happen between now and when the Broncos select their player.

There are plenty of factors that would cause a player to rise or fall on a team’s draft board. Some of the top players participate in their college’s Pro Day. This is a day when these players hold workouts for teams that choose to attend. Their draft stock either rises, falls, or stays where it is, depending on their Pro Day performance.

People have linked Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Broncos. There has been buzz around UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen heading to the rocky mountains. Another name mentioned is Wyoming’s Josh Allen. There is also a possibility that the quarterbacks the team likes are off the board. This opens up the possibility of another position of need.

It seems likely that the Broncos do, in fact, take a quarterback. Case Keenum may not be the long-term answer. Even if he does do better for the Broncos than the three starters last season.

The Broncos aren’t often this high in the draft order, so selecting a player who can make a fairly quick impact should be high on their priority list.

I say “fairly quick” because Case Keenum was brought in from the Minnesota Vikings to be the team’s starting quarterback for the 2018 season. Of course, there is a chance a rookie beats him out in training camp, but that isn’t the Broncos’ ideal scenario.

Next: Broncos Updated 2018 NFL Draft Needs

I think that the Broncos should take a quarterback later on in the draft and use their first round pick on a player that will protect Keenum in 2018.

That player, ideally, would be Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson.  Denver should be set with Keenum for a couple of years, and let a drafted rookie quarterback sit on the bench and learn from a veteran.

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