Denver Broncos: Did the Senior Bowl sway Elway’s QB decision?

The Denver Broncos got the chance to see more of the 2019 NFL Draft’s top quarterback prospects. Did they do anything to sway John Elway’s mind?

The 2019 Senior Bowl is already in the books, and February is fast approaching. It’s hard to believe we’re approaching yet another offseason for the NFL and another where the quarterback position will be a major focus for the Denver Broncos.

Everyone’s focus at the event was Missouri’s Drew Lock, who definitely went into Senior Bowl week as the top quarterback prospect in Mobile.

He left it the same way.

Lock has a very intriguing melting pot of skills.

On the field, he’s got a huge arm and believes in himself to make plays, to a fault at times. He’s a competitor and showed he’s dedicated to his craft by going back to school after throwing 44 touchdown passes as a junior in 2017.

At the podium, he gave off a bit of a Jay Cutler vibe, but not the ‘doesn’t really care about football’ vibe Cutler often exuded. Lock seems really easy-going, calm, and confident. He answered questions about his game — both the good and the bad — with a smile on his face and in a roundabout way also said he felt he is the best quarterback in the class.

Lock has some standout traits but many are wary of his bad habits mechanically going forward.

One player who doesn’t really struggle at all mechanically is Duke’s Daniel Jones, who looked like a first-round quarterback in the Blue Devils’ bowl game against Temple.

Jones didn’t have a great week of practices but was named MVP of the game with two touchdowns. He will likely still be in the first round discussion even after an up-and-down week, mainly because he seems to have a very well-rounded game and looks like he could come in and run an NFL offense right now.

There weren’t any other quarterbacks in the Senior Bowl this year likely to get round one consideration, but some guys — like Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham — stood out enough to get potential day two consideration (guys like Will Grier and Ryan Finley could be in that discussion as well).

The Broncos need a young quarterback to develop behind Case Keenum, but will they go all in with a first-round player or will they wait until day two or three and re-evaluate next year?

All of the early buzz seems to indicate the Broncos are higher on Drew Lock than any other NFL team, but they might have to trade up to acquire him.

There’s also really nothing at this point connecting the Broncos and Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins or Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, and that could change in the coming months.

The team didn’t need to be coerced into taking a quarterback in this year’s class as it seems they’ve been high on Lock for a long time. With that being said, did the Senior Bowl sway Elway’s approach at all this offseason?

I don’t think Lock or Jones did much to alter their stock too much. Both of those guys will be gone by the middle of the first round. The question is whether or not one of them will be wearing orange and blue on Sundays.

To me, Lock set himself apart in terms of the overall level of his traits. He’s got better arm talent and production, and despite throwing the ball off his back foot a lot or failing to re-set his base when he’s under pressure, Lock doesn’t seem to have a bad feel for the game nor does he process slowly.

If anything, I think the thought that this year’s quarterback class can help Elway’s team was fortified by the Senior Bowl. The guys available to the Broncos this year are not quite the prospects Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were a year ago, but I think Lock is a better overall player than Josh Allen was coming out or even Josh Rosen.

The Broncos understand their need to upgrade at the position, and it’s likely Elway was pleased with what he saw from these guys at the Senior Bowl, both on and off the field.