“This [Quarterback] group is talented.”
“It’s very rare that you have three guys who are at least 6-4, 230 and run a 4.6.”
“We may already have the guy who can pull the trigger and win us a championship someday. We may have him. We don’t know. We believe in Tim, but he’s not there yet.”
Those above quotes are from the President of the Denver Broncos, rookie drafter John Elway. After drafting a quarterback last year in the first round (Tim Tebow), it would seem the franchise would look to go another direction.
But that was a completely different Broncos regime. And as we see many times with teams getting a new head coach and/or front office decision maker, some players fall by the wayside and need to find a team that will give them a chance. We saw the same with the Cardinals moving on from Matt Leinart, the Broncos before getting rid of Jay Cutler, and even the Panthers this year moving on quickly from Jimmy Clausen.
Elway and head coach John Fox were both at Blaine Gabbert’s (Missouri) and Cam Newton’s (Auburn) pro day. The team has also showed significant interest in Jake Locker and Colin Kaepernick in workouts and reports.
Also, reportedly an AFC West team told Colin Kaepernick that he was the number one rated quarterback on their board.
So, now that all the rumors, reports, and quotes are out there, what can we make of the Broncos interest in drafting a quarterback in the top two rounds?
Well, first thing to believe during this point in the draft season is to not believe much at all that teams release or that gets “leaked” in the media. Teams purposely bring guys in for workouts and talk about prospects in the media to leave other teams questioning what their motives are.
Second, keep in mind that 10 of the Top 16 teams in this draft have shown significant interest in drafting a quarterback with their first two round picks, and those ten teams are in much worse shape that the Broncos, who have a capable starter (Kyle Orton) and a young developmental guy (Tim Tebow) in the fold already.
One intriguing rumor, and as I said before, don’t believe much that is released to the media, is that the Washington Redskins are very interested in trading up to get a franchise quarterback. Though I’ve heard many reports of their interest in Jake Locker and he makes sense in the 10-15 range, they likely would rather Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton much more. And with the Mike Shanahan and John Elway connection, it’s very possible that these two teams could be trade partners.
Another possibility is that the team will be able trade down just one or two slots to be able to get some additional picks to either trade up for another quarterback in the 2nd-early 1st round area or to address their defense more. They need help at every level of their defense, especially in finding a defensive tackle and in the secondary.
Could Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert keep his navy blue and orange colors and be the next John Elway in Denver? Are the Broncos the AFC West team that views Colin Kaepernick that highly? Both are unlikely.
With so many needs across the defense, a young quarterback on the roster, and a capable starting quarterback now, they’ll likely look at Marcell Dareus, Patrick Peterson, Robert Quinn, Von Miller, or Da’Quan Bowers with that #2 overall pick, and possibly could get great value if they are able to sucker a team into trading up to secure Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert.
At the end of the day, the Broncos will likely pass on quarterback in the first two or three rounds of the draft and work on adding more to the overall talent on the defense. And, if they don’t show signs of improving, especially at quarterback, they can possibly get lucky next year by drafting a quarterback John Elway is more comfortable with.
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