Broncos: 49ers blockbuster trade impact on George Paton’s plans?

The Denver Broncos were in Provo, Utah for the pro day of BYU quarterback Zach Wilson (among a couple of other solid prospects) when news dropped that the San Francisco 49ers were shaking up the 2021 NFL Draft.

The 49ers moved all the way up to the 3rd overall selection from pick 12 in order to select a quarterback, in all likelihood. In order to move up to the 3rd pick, the 49ers traded away their 12th pick this year, a first- and third-round pick in 2022, as well as a 2023 first-round pick.

There is really no way you move up that high in the NFL Draft for anything besides a quarterback.

Given the 49ers’ relationship with the New York Jets and their new head coach Robert Saleh, you would have to think that if the Jets were going in a different direction besides QB at pick number two, they would have taken that sweet haul of a trade from the 49ers themselves.

With Trevor Lawrence of Clemson being all but Sharpied in as this year’s first overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it seems the Jets are not making their intentions with the second overall pick (Zach Wilson) any more secretive.

With the 49ers trading up for a quarterback and both Lawrence/Wilson expected to be off the board, there is a very good chance that the top four selections in the NFL Draft will be quarterbacks for the first time in history.

How does all of this impact the Denver Broncos and new GM George Paton?

It could have a fascinating ripple effect in a variety of ways…

1. 3 QBs are out of the question

Unless the Broncos like at least four of the top five quarterbacks early in this year’s draft, they’re out of luck.

The top three picks in the draft are going to be quarterbacks after this move by the San Francisco 49ers with the top two likely being Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson.

One of Trey Lance, Justin Fields, or Mac Jones will be off the board with the third overall pick.

That leaves only two of those guys to be available with the fourth overall pick, and the Atlanta Falcons obviously might be interested in taking one depending on who is left.

If the Falcons are more interested in going for it with Matt Ryan this year, they might be persuaded to move down from that 4th overall pick for the right price.

If George Paton determines that any of Justin Fields, Mac Jones, or Trey Lance are worthy of building the franchise around, then he should be willing to do whatever it takes to go up to the 4th pick and get them.

At this point, with the 49ers getting aggressive and making a move to get to the third pick, the Broncos (and other teams interested in drafting a QB potentially) should be calling and getting the Falcons’ current asking price. At this stage, it would undoubtedly cost a future first-round pick to get any deal to move up to the 4th spot done, even just moving up from number nine overall.

And that’s just to get one of the four best quarterbacks on your board.

If the Broncos aren’t sold on four of the quarterbacks in this draft, there are other ramifications of this move that could have an impact on Paton’s plans.

2. Sam Darnold should be very available

After Zach Wilson’s pro day at BYU and the trade by the 49ers to move up into the third overall spot in the NFL Draft, it’s pretty clear that Sam Darnold is going to be on the outs in New York.

Darnold, the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, was the apple of John Elway’s eye that year and the Broncos might have traded up to get him if things in an alternate timeline, but here we are.

Darnold is only going to be 24 this season, he’s got three seasons of fighting his way through playing in Adam Gase’s offense, playing with horrible teammates (in terms of their abilities), horrible management, and constant roster turnover in a brutal media market.

Darnold could have certainly risen above and been the guy to raise all boats in New York but like all college players coming to the pros, he did not enter the NFL without flaws and things to work on.

He had to learn the hard way and as a result, he and the Jets have not played well in the last three years. The jury might still be out on Darnold’s long-term NFL prospects, however, and because he was such a highly-touted prospect just three years ago, perhaps there is merit to the idea of giving him a shot as a reclamation project.

Darnold has played some good ball in two appearances before the Broncos, getting hurt in the 2020 contest the two teams played against each other, and has certainly had his flashes of brilliance.

If the Jets’ plan is Zach Wilson with the second pick, then Darnold’s value in a trade is not going to be as strong as it once was. When the writing is on the wall, the team trading away a player loses some leverage especially when you’re talking about a risk/reward player like Darnold.

There’s no sure thing here.

The Broncos and GM George Paton could hold firm with a third- or fourth-round pick in an offer for Darnold, or maybe a player-for-player swap.

One way or another, the Broncos’ options to upgrade at quarterback have dwindled in recent days, and Darnold could be had for a more team-friendly price at this point.

3. Jimmy Garoppolo the next one to go?

The 49ers might not be trying to unload Jimmy Garoppolo anytime soon.

Now, this could be a 100 percent truthful and factual statement by Adam Schefter’s 49ers source. The 49ers do not have to trade Garoppolo, nor do they have to move off from him this year if they draft a quarterback.

Especially someone like Trey Lance who may require some seasoning before being thrown to the wolves in the NFL.

With that being said, the 49ers might be willing to deal Garoppolo for the right price considering they have now paid a premium for a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Garoppolo wouldn’t net the 49ers anything more than a day three pick given his injury history and the fact that they are obviously taking a quarterback, but he might be a serviceable starter worth inquiring about.

If they would rather keep Garoppolo as insurance for 2021 than trade him for a day three pick, then a deal probably won’t get done. Does Jimmy G. even make sense for the Broncos? Not really with a base salary of $24.1 million this year and $24.2 million in 2022.

If the 49ers were to cut Garoppolo loose? That might be a different story. Again, that doesn’t seem likely and the Broncos can’t really afford to wait for that to happen.

4. Good news for Drew Lock?

Although the Broncos are expected to add “competition” at quarterback, their general manager George Paton and quarterbacks coach Mike Shula have now been to the pro days of Trey Lance and Zach Wilson to scout a possible first-round pick at Drew Lock’s position.

Absent a trade for a high-priced veteran like Teddy Bridgewater or Jimmy Garoppolo, or a deal for Sam Darnold, everything seems to be working out just peachy for Drew Lock.

What quarterbacks could the Broncos bring in at this point that would provide legitimate competition?

They have not been aggressive in free agency at the quarterback position. Short-term options there have already been plucked away by other teams.

The Broncos are also now undoubtedly missing out on three of the top five quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Lock is not out of the woods yet. The Broncos could try to move into the top five yet, they could trade for Darnold, or they could trade for another veteran like Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson if one of those guys becomes magically available.

The options at the Broncos’ disposal to upgrade over Drew Lock are dwindling rather quickly, and that’s good news for the former second-round pick.

5. About Deshaun Watson…

In one fell swoop, it seems that three teams have bowed out of the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes.

The New York Jets appear poised to use the 2nd overall pick on Zach Wilson. The San Francisco 49ers have now moved up into position to draft a quarterback. The Miami Dolphins traded their most valuable draft asset (the 3rd overall pick) in any effort to potentially acquire Watson and send the Texans an opportunity to draft a QB in return.

Those things, in addition to Watson’s off-field issues likely precluding a trade from happening anytime soon, seem to indicate that teams will be moving on from this already remote possibility.

The fact that three potentially major players seem to have bowed out of the Watson sweepstakes with Friday’s trades indicates that this deal has really no chance of going down before the 2021 NFL Draft barring the unforeseen.

Broncos fans can probably put this one to bed until Watson’s legal situation is cleared, and who knows when that will be?

Broncos: Why George Paton trading up for QB seems more likely

After the first week of free agency, it seems more likely that Denver Broncos GM George Paton could trade up for a quarterback.

If the trades by Miami and San Francisco are any indication, it won’t be anytime soon.