Drew Lock is lightyears ahead of where he was as a rookie

Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock talked about how far ahead he is going into his second season compared to his rookie year with the team.

Even in an unprecedented offseason with teams limited to virtual meetings Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock is taking the time to dive into his playbook.

Lock is entering his second season in the NFL, and a lot of times, you can copy and paste what second-year players say following their rookie seasons. As rookies, these young players coming from the college ranks are swimming in the deep end.

Some are better swimmers than others, but being a rookie in the NFL is never easy and it’s really a week-to-week grind that takes time and acclimation. Lock, despite being a four-year starter at one of the best conferences in college football, was certainly no exception.

Especially after getting injured in preseason play and missing half of the regular season, Lock had to learn the art of developing as an NFL player without ‘real’ time on task.

He learned through virtual reality, taking Joe Flacco’s first-team reps while rehabbing his thumb injury. Lock also built relationships with his teammates off the field, something he said really helped him when it was actually time to take the field late in the 2019 season.

Heading into the 2020 offseason, many were opposed to the idea of the Broncos moving on from offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello because continuity was of paramount importance for a young quarterback. But Drew Lock is no stranger to changing offensive coaches and changing schemes.

Though the Broncos certainly don’t want to make a habit of it, they felt they had a clear opportunity to upgrade at offensive coordinator with Pat Shurmur hitting the coaching free agent market. They hired him and quarterbacks coach Mike Shula to develop Lock, and Lock says that he feels he’s way ahead of where he was last year in terms of digesting a new offense.

You might say he feels ‘lightyears’ ahead…

"“As far as the offense goes this year learning it, I think having this be my second year is benefiting me in a lot of ways that I didn’t necessarily expect as far as learning a new offense. There are similar carryovers from the last one to where you can pocket that. You don’t necessarily have to study that as much because you’ve kind of already got that mindset down and know what they’re talking about as far as older stuff. Even the newer stuff I’m getting taught—it’s easier for me to learn because I’ve found the way that fits me best as far as learning a new offense goes. Picking this one up has happened, I’d say, 10 times as quick as it did the first time.”Drew Lock (quotes via Broncos PR)"

It’s fantastic to hear Lock talk about the progress he’s making even with the team unable to meet physically, which will hopefully change sometime in the near future.

Lock said in his interview with the local media in Denver that he plans on getting his receivers together whenever it is acceptable by health and/or NFL standards to do so.

We all need that content ASAP…

Lock is a student of the game as much as he is a playmaker on it. He talked in his interview about the prospect of defenses having to play less single-high and less help on Courtland Sutton against the Broncos’ offense and the problems that presents to opposing defensive coordinators.

"“We saw a lot of teams start doubling Courtland towards the end of the year when I was playing. Being able to have speed on the other side, it’s going to scare D-coordinators, I believe, to probably going to have to play with—you’re not going to shade a single wide receiver over to Courtland if you’ve got those guys on the other side. You’re probably going to have to stick to more two-high stuff and really play it straight up. If you play two-high, you have to think about our running backs and our O-lineman. We’ve got Phillip and Melvin. I think we’re very versatile as far as what we can do whether that’s we feel like we need to attack the ball and put it through the air or run the ball. I feel like we’re pretty solid in both aspects I would say.”"

Lock should be expected to go through any number of issues you might expect of a young quarterback, but there’s no doubt he has the mental aptitude to win before the snap in the NFL and the natural ability to see the field after the ball is in his hands to have an advanced development compared to other young quarterbacks who simply struggle along.

The Broncos have put pieces in place for Lock to be successful now and well into the future.