Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock appears to have a grasp on the starting quarterback position for the 2021 NFL season, pending competition from a free agent pickup.
That being said, the question is, how long is his leash?
According to James Palmer of NFL Network, the Broncos are attending NDSU quarterback Trey Lance’s Pro Day.
Lance played in just one game in 2020 due to COVID, and that will be cause for concern, but he has been credited with being very smart as a quarterback.
As Benjamin Allbright said recently, it wouldn’t necessarily be surprising if the Broncos went away from drafting a cornerback with their first-round draft pick. That ultimately puts quarterback in play for the team.
Whether they pull the trigger on a quarterback depends on how much they truly love the guy.
Let’s take a look at the top options:
Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence will obviously not be available when the Broncos make their selection, whenever that may be. Unless, of course, they do something crazy to trade up to the first-overall selection. That will never happen, though.
Zach Wilson
Considered the second-best quarterback by many, trading up for him would be more reasonable than Lawrence.
Justin Fields
Okay, so the second and third quarterbacks are debatable here. Both have their pros and cons. It’s assumed that the Jets will take Wilson or Fields.
Attending NDSU’s Pro Day is smart by the Broncos.
We’ve recently talked about doing due diligence on players. That’s exactly what it seems like the Broncos were doing when they visited with wide receiver Rondale Moore recently.
There is that possibility that the Broncos will find something in Lance that they truly love—or at least feel like they can work with.
The thing is, you don’t draft a guy in the first round without expecting him to be the long-term future at whatever position he plays. That’s most important at the quarterback position.
The Broncos are going to bring in competition at quarterback when free agency begins. They’ll give Drew Lock every chance to compete and prove that he’s their guy.
This very well could be a smokescreen, but George Paton being there is just a smart move. It shows that he’s got the keys to the general manager room and it’s his roster. Plus, he’s bringing some important people with him.
Paton will be joined on North Dakota State trip by QB coach Mike Shula and college scouting director Brian Stark. Paton big on collaboration between coaches and personnel. #9sports https://t.co/mSradDD3fl
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) March 12, 2021
On the other side of the coin, maybe Paton figures that Lock’s time with the Denver Broncos could be over sooner than some people expect.
Preparation is important, especially for a team’s new general manager. The NFL Draft is unpredictable for the most part, but it appears that maybe, just maybe, we could see something crazy go down on April 29.
Denver Broncos presence could be for another player
The Broncos not only possibly could be looking at quarterback Trey Lance at NDSU’s Pro Day; they could be looking at one of his protectors.
Dillon Radunz, a top tackle, could be of interest to the Broncos in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
At 6-foot-5, 304 pounds, Radunz protected Lance’s blindside, which originally was not his position: before transitioning to the offensive line, Radunz was considered to be a defensive end.
Scouts consider Radunz as a better run blocker than pass blocker, but with Mike Munchak as the offensive line coach, I am sure Radunz would quickly turn things around.
Denver Broncos: Five possible trade targets at cornerback
The Denver Broncos will have to explore every way to get better in the 2021 offseason. What trades could they look into at cornerback?
The Denver Broncos do have Garett Bolles, who they signed to a contract extension, so if Radunz was considered in the second round, the Broncos might consider him as a right tackle or eventual replacement for Graham Glasgow at right guard.