Broncos make Brett Rypien, other top UDFA deals official

The Denver Broncos made official the signing of undrafted free agent Brett Rypien and other top prospects from the post-draft heap.

Not that there was much doubt as many of these prospects or their respective schools announced their signings publicly, but the Denver Broncos made official seven more undrafted free agent moves including Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien.

I know the post-draft UDFA period is a great time to crank up the hyperbole meter, but Brett Rypien is truly a gem among gems in the UDFA crop.

Physically and athletically, Rypien’s closest NFL comp is actually Baker Mayfield, believe it or not.

Now, am I saying he’s Mayfield as a prospect? No. Please don’t hear that. I’m just presenting interesting findings.

Like Mayfield, however, Rypien was a four-year starter in college and a productive one, at that.

He completed 64 percent of his 1,617 passes in college for 13,578 yards, 90 touchdowns, and just 29 interceptions. Any college quarterback with that amount and quality of work is worthy of a training camp look, in my opinion, and the Broncos were willing to cut Garrett Grayson — a reserve/futures contract player and Colorado State star — to get him.

NFL.com had an accurate projection of Rypien’s draft range (they considered him a 7th round, UDFA type) and a solid all-around assessment of his skills.

Rypien is accurate to all levels of the field, throws the ball with anticipation, and has a quick, efficient release. He throws a nice ball, and operates his offense to perfection.

Where Rypien struggles — unlike Broncos draft choice Drew Lock — is in the area of pure arm strength and mobility.

Rypien isn’t as creative when thrown off schedule by pressure, and he’s not able to make the same type of throws Lock is.

With that said, I really like what Rypien brings to the table and watching him play this past season, I felt like he was a solid day three draft choice, possibly even as high as a fourth-round pick.

The Draft Network wasn’t overly high on this year’s QB class, but they only had five drafted quarterbacks ranked higher than Rypien in their final rankings (Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock, Will Grier, and Daniel Jones).

Among the statistics Rypien impressed with in his college career, I thought this note from Pro Football Focus was really cool.

As a matter of fact, PFF liked Rypien more than most.

The Broncos, for the first time in what seems like forever, have a very exciting quarterback room. Not only did they get one developmental player at the position, but they got two, and they got two guys who are very good at very different things with very different strengths.

I’m a huge fan of the situation in general.

With the addition of Rypien, the Broncos released Garrett Grayson, who signed on to the practice squad late last season before being signed as a reserve/futures player.

The Broncos QB depth chart now includes Joe Flacco, Kevin Hogan, Drew Lock, and Brett Rypien.