The Denver Broncos know what it’s like to miss on a quarterback early in the NFL draft.
The Broncos used a second-round pick on Drew Lock in 2019, a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch in 2017 and a second-round pick on Brock Osweiler in 2012. Circumstances provided varying degrees of excuses for each QB, but ultimately, they all proved to be busts.
Denver can also look at other teams for recent examples of busted QBs. The first six QBs picked in the 2022 NFL draft — Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, Matt Corral, Bailey Zappe and Sam Howell — have all been either benched, cut or traded.
Go back one year further and there’s been one hit so far in Trevor Lawrence, but the four other first-round QBs in 2021 have been benched or traded: Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones.
This doesn’t mean the Broncos should not try to find their QB in this year’s draft — especially when it appears to be such a strong class — but it does demonstrate the importance of getting the right guy.
“It’s the most important position in sports,” Denver general manager George Paton said at the NFL combine last month.
The Broncos currently hold pick No. 12 in the first round and if they want to land one of the top four QBs — Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels or J.J. McCarthy — the team will likely need to trade up.
“[I]f you’re going to draft one, that’s obviously very difficult [to decide],” Paton said. “We’re going to put a lot of time in it, like we do every position, but the quarterback position is just that much — it seems like there’s more mistakes, it seems like at quarterback especially, in the first round.”
After moving on from veteran Russell Wilson, Denver appears poised to have a rebuilding year in 2024 before bouncing back with plenty of salary cap space to spare in 2025. If they land the right QB in April and get him some experience as a rookie this fall, the Broncos could be poised to get the franchise back on track in 2025.
If they miss on their QB yet again, Denver will return to the football purgatory they’ve been in since Peyton Manning’s retirement. April could be a turning point for the Broncos, but they have to get it right. No pressure.
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