Breaking down the Broncos' options at quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft

The big dilemma surrounding the Denver Broncos entering the 2019 NFL Draft is all about the quarterbacks, and if they’ll pull the trigger on one in the top 10.

Regardless of how high John Elway and the Broncos are willing to take a signal-caller this year, it seems like a guarantee that at the very least one young quarterback will be added to the roster, even if just as a developmental piece to compete with Kevin Hogan or Garrett Grayson.

Whatever round Denver chooses to pull the trigger on a quarterback, we have you covered with an all-encompassing position preview of the Broncos likeliest targets, starting with three options at 10.

The dream scenario

Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

Haskins had a huge year in 2018, being thrust into the starting lineup while the Buckeyes program suffered through tremendous adversity. As all that was going on, Haskins managed to show massive improvements the entire season, closing out the year as the hottest quarterback in all of college football.

Haskins is a prototypical pocket passer with tremendous timing and accuracy. Despite being just a one-year starter, he already showed an advanced IQ, comfort in working off of his secondary reads and taking what the defense gives him.

His arm is more than strong enough, though he doesn’t possess elite arm strength to the sidelines. However, his timing and accuracy allow him to thread the needle in tight windows, and his deep ball accuracy was elite by the end of the year, where he unleashed bombs like this pass below.

The biggest knock on Haskins is his lack of mobility, which forced Ohio State to have to tweak their offense. While he’ll never be incredibly elusive, his sense of timing allows him to avoid pressure, and he showed major improvements with his ability to throw on the move as the year progressed.

Considering how well he played in the second half of the year, putting the Buckeye’s offense on his shoulders and playing his best football against the toughest defenses he faced, the sky is the limit for Haskins. His skill set is reminiscent of Jared Goff’s when coming out of Cal, but Haskins should have a higher ceiling if he can continue his upward trajectory. 

Two other options at 10

Drew Lock, QB, Missouri

Big, strong-armed and athletic, if there’s a quarterback in this class that has all the raw tools necessary to be an Aaron Rodgers-type improvisational savant, it’s Lock.

Those raw tools were there a year ago, too, when Lock decided against entering the loaded 2018 draft class where he would’ve been competing to be the sixth quarterback taken.

Instead, Missouri’s rocket-armed signal caller returned to school—under his third offensive coordinator in four years—and showed some huge growth in his game. Look no further than massive upsets of Florida and Kentucky, two of the more talented defenses in all of college football. In those upsets, Lock was able to take what the defense gave him, handling pressure extraordinarily well and showing the ability to go off of his primary reads, all key improvements from 2017.

So while Lock might have lacked some of the flashy throws we saw in his junior year, he became a much more cerebral quarterback, all while being groomed in an offense with more pro concepts that put more on his plate pre-snap.

His biggest deficiencies are his footwork—he’s gotten into bad habits of throwing off awkward planes—and accuracy, which can be inconsistent. As much as he’s lauded for his arm strength, his deep-ball accuracy isn’t always on point, and that must improve if he’s ever to reach his full potential.

Lock has a quick and compact release, he has all the raw tools but will require some major development if he’s to ever reach his infinite potential. 

Daniel Jones, QB, Duke

Jones is a unique quarterback prospect who’s become one of the more divisive players of the entire 2019 class.

He possesses nice touch and is fearless under pressure, always keeping his eyes downfield and showing the poise of a veteran. He’s also a strong athlete with a prototypical frame and nice arm talent on intermediate throws. Jones has also shown a strong IQ, will work off his secondary reads and shows nice eye manipulation to look off safeties.

His big issue is that his accuracy has been inconsistent and his arm strength is unimpressive, as he hasn’t shown elite zip or great accuracy on his deep ball.

So while he checks off a lot of boxes, his greatest weaknesses are quite concerning. Many will cite that he comes from a Duke program led by quarterback guru David Cutcliffe, who groomed both of the Manning brothers, but he also wasn’t all that productive, and Cutcliffe would take him off the field from time to time to run wildcat packages—not exactly the greatest endorsement.

If his arm can be developed, there’s no reason why he can’t become an average-level NFL starter with the athleticism and size to make plays above the X’s and O’s, but he’s a developmental project that’ll likely get overdrafted by a team that values his strengths.

Whoever selects him will have to be aware of what they’re getting and be patient in developing him without throwing him into the fire too early. The first round buzz seems crazy at this point as he looks like a classic day-two developmental project. 

Day two and beyond

Brett Rypien, QB, Boise State

A former four-star recruit who had a decorated career at Boise State, Rypien is oozing with natural talent, with a strong arm to all fields and an easy release.

The other side of that coin is that Rypien can be overly confident and is a bit of a risk taker, forcing throws in tight windows, which led him to some bad picks. Another concern with him is that he played his best football in the first half of the year, as his ball placement, touch and decision making were inconsistent throughout the season.

Rypien’s upside is still really intriguing, with a prototypical arm that allows him to squeeze balls into tight windows with ease. He has everything you need to be a starter in the NFL and is already ahead of most other prospects with experience playing under center and promising footwork. 

The NFL seems to have undervalued him thus far, as he wasn’t invited to the Senior Bowl and isn’t receiving much buzz, but he’s as intriguing a passer as there is in this draft after the top four.

Jordan Ta’amu, QB, Ole Miss

When you watch Ta’amu, it’s easy to see how he could fit in Rich Scangarello’s offense as one of the best athletes at quarterback in the class, with real talent throwing on the run and a live arm. His deep-ball accuracy and touch are his best traits, with the skill set to be a quality starter who can move the chains and make some impressive flash plays. 

Ta’amu can be a risk taker too, unafraid to take shots deep where he’s made some impressive throws and also tossed some unnecessary interceptions.

He still needs to polish up his decision making and be less erratic under pressure, but the talent is enticing, especially when throwing on the run and improvising. He’s far from a finished product and will need to be developed in a pro system, especially his lower-body mechanics. Ta’amu underachieved in a loaded offense at Ole Miss that struggled mightily against the SEC’s best defenses.

He’s a project but has all the talent to be developed into an NFL starter with an ideal skill-set to fit in the Broncos offense.

Will Grier, QB, West Virginia

Grier was a star quarterback for the Mountaineers explosive offense who had some huge performances in the last two years.

His accuracy has been promising, especially deep, and he plays well out of structure, especially when throwing on the move or off of awkward platforms.

Grier’s not the most physically-imposing signal caller in the class, doesn’t have the biggest arm, and benefitted greatly from West Virginia’s Air-Raid offense and the talented playmakers around him, all factors that make his evaluation a bit murky.

He’s the ultimate gunslinger, often making boneheaded decisions and forcing impossible throws off his back foot that’ll get him in trouble. He seems to have a lot of buzz but is far from the most naturally-talented passer in the class and will need to fix up a lot of his deficiencies to someday become an NFL starter.

He’s a bit reminiscent of a poor man’s Jake Plummer, or Baker Mayfield without the high-end decision making.

Ryan Finley, QB, NC State

Finley came into the season with some real hope that he could slip into the first round, and though he had a steady season, he didn’t take that next step in his development.

Look, he’s big, has enough arm strength and is much more advanced than most quarterbacks are coming out of college as a pocket passer, his big issue is his ball placement, which can be all over the map.

Finley just lacks elite traits but has a fairly prototypical profile that should allow him to stick in the NFL for several years as a backup. He has the tools to develop into a starter and be serviceable—think of a less-athletic Dak Prescott—but how high his ceiling is, is a real question.

Tyree Jackson, QB, Buffalo

Jackson is a poor-man’s version of what Josh Allen was a year ago—an ultra-toolsy gun-slinger with plenty of arm strength and athleticism to go along with endlessly-inconsistent film.

Jackson has a big frame, even for NFL standards, and can throw darts on the run with all the necessary arm talent to squeeze throws into tight windows. He’s also a gutsy quarterback who won’t back down from making tough throws against a team’s best defensive backs.

His zip and arm strength are elite, and he’s still very raw. Jackson had never received individual quarterback coaching until his draft preparation, making his upside that much higher.

His lack of touch is troubling, and the same goes for his ball placement and accuracy, as too often he’ll alternate phenomenal throws with passes that aren’t even in the right zip code. 

The tools are all enticing, almost as much as the holes in his game are concerning.

Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn

Stidham came into the year as a prime candidate to be the top quarterback taken after a strong performance against Alabama the year prior leading Auburn to a top-10 finish.

His final year was disappointing, to say the least, as Stidham has the arm and is athletic but just didn’t get the job done on a consistent basis. His struggles under pressure were troublesome, and his accuracy was sorely lacking.

A former Baylor standout, he played his best football back in Texas, when he wasn’t afraid to take shots deep and played loose. He showed some increased polish in 2017 but regressed in a major way last year.

His skillset is enticing but he wasn’t a very good quarterback in his final year in the SEC, it’s hard to trust he’ll turn things around in the NFL.

Gardner Minshew, QB, Washington State

Minshew broke out last season after transferring from East Carolina and almost lead the Cougars to a conference title.

He has some swagger as a passer and is comfortable throwing darts from within the pocket, with nice touch and accuracy to all fields.

Despite coming from a fast-paced Air Raid attack, he showed some promising development at the Senior Bowl when used under center.

He’s a responsible decision-maker who has the ability to fit throws in tight windows with high-end timing and accuracy.

Minshew isn’t the most naturally-gifted passer in this class but has the skill set to become a strong backup, who could be molded into a starter down the road.

Clayton Thorson, QB, Northwestern

Not the flashiest, Thorson is a responsible quarterback with the arm talent to throw on the run to go along with decorated career where he won lots of games.

He didn’t play his best in 2018 as he was slowed down by injuries most of the year but he’s a true pro with accuracy and deceptive athleticism.

Thorson’s IQ is promising with a strong pocket presence and polished footwork, though he can still develop his eye manipulation and be even more accurate when throwing to his secondary reads.

He’s a high-floor developmental piece who can fit as a long-term backup with the potential for more if his arm strength and deep-ball accuracy can be developed.