Denver Broncos: Drew Lock’s areas for improvement

2. Moving out of the Pocket

Another weakness that Lock possesses is scrambling out of the pocket on unnecessary occasions.

This problem isn’t necessarily a problem of its own either, but rather a problem resulting from his lack of reading coverages.

When I say Lock, “moves out of the pocket on unnecessary occasions,” I mean that he scrambles when there is either no attack from the rush or the offensive line isn’t folding in.

There were numerous times in 2020 where Lock could be seen moving around behind the line of scrimmage looking for options when in reality he had options right in front of him.

Take a look at this game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. Start the video at 1:10 where the Broncos have the ball at third down and three. You can watch that clip here.

Lock did not need to move out of the pocket and run for the conversion. Instead, he could have thrown to his tight end down the middle a second earlier. He had the space in the pocket, and the completion could have resulted in a first down.

Once again, Drew’s eyes appeared to be locked in on another target, resulting in him missing the open opportunity and run for the conversion.

In that play Lock was also under pressure from the blitz, so it is understandable why he made the decision to run.

However, in these kinds of situations, you have to anticipate the blitz coming. If you know a blitz is coming in hot, the throw has to be made within a split second, or else the offense isn’t going to be successful.

Here’s another instance of Drew Lock not needed to move out of the pocket. start the clip at 4:02 where the Denver Broncos are making a push out of their own end. You can view the clip here.

In the designed play, Lock had four different options he could go towards. However, he gets spooked off of light pressure on his left side, causing him to scramble and make a difficult check-down pass.

It’s a simple mistake that most young quarterbacks make at some point during their careers. However, this has happened on numerous occasions for Lock. If he does get the second chance, this is a habit he most certainly needs to break.

All in all, Drew Lock has made great strides in improving his performance going into the 2021 season. However, his downsides caused him to fall short to the veteran Teddy Bridgewater.

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Whether Lock gets a second chance remains to be seen. If the opportunity does arise for the young gunslinger, look for him to be making these adjustments into his game.