Broncos Roundtable: When will Drew Lock get his first start?

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — John Elway has a way of stealing the headlines.

He did just that during the wild three days of the 2019 NFL Draft.

But was it successful? Will the big-time moves pan out?

The BSN Broncos Crew breaks it all down.

WHO WAS THE BRONCOS’ BEST PICK IN THE DRAFT?

Ryan

Drew Lock — It’s impossible for me to go anywhere else here because of the upside. If Drew Lock becomes the franchise quarterback of the Denver Broncos, there’s nothing anyone else in this class can do to even get in the same stratosphere.

Quarterback is funny, though, because if he doesn’t become that player, he could very well end up being the worst pick of this draft for John Elway and company. With that said, I believe in Drew Lock when it comes to his talent, his intangibles, and his drive to be great.

Broncos fans are dying to fall in love and Lock is going to give them that chance.

Zac

Lock it up to Drew — The Broncos landed three first-round graded players with only one first-round pick. Well done, John, well done.

But it was the last of these three picks that takes the cake for Elway’s best pick.

Drew Lock’s got all of the tools to be a franchise quarterback for the Broncos for the next two decades—from the “it” factor, to leadership and every physical attribute needed to succeed at a high level in the NFL.

Lock was the No. 1 QB on Elway’s board, as well as mine, and for the Broncos to nab him in the second round was a combination of fortune, luck and an excellent plan coming together. And more luck.

Now, the Broncos not only have their quarterback of the future at an incredibly low price, but they also have him in a fantastic position to learn and grow behind Joe Flacco.

If Lock turns out not to be the answer at QB, the impact will be minimal since they drafted him in the second round.

However, if he does, which I suspect he will, this will arguably be the best pick in Elway’s tenure.

Andre

Give me more Dre’Mont — You can’t go wrong picking any of the top-four picks, but Dre’Mont Jones is the best value selection according to our big board. Jones was ranked as high as the top-20 prior to a disappointing Combine performance, and has one of the most coveted skills of all—he’s a destructive interior pass rusher.

Jones’ talent is unquestioned with a devastating first step and prototypical length. What’s really intriguing about this pick, beyond Jones’ natural talent getting after the passer, is how the Broncos roster can cover up his weaknesses. Jones isn’t the most powerful lineman and will struggle against double teams, which is just fine in Denver where Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, and even Derek Wolfe will be the focus of opposing blockers. He’ll also benefit from having stout down lineman surrounding him like Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, Shelby Harris and Zech Kerr, who can allow the youngster to shoot gaps as they take on multiple blockers up front.

Jones will have a limited role early on as a third-down pass rusher on the interior but could have a massive impact even in that limited role. He’s exactly the type of interior penetrator Denver’s been searching for and should be a huge addition to the defense.

WHAT ROOKIE WILL HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT?

Ryan

Noah Fant — I think Noah Fant is going to blow away expectations. It’s really not crazy to think that he could come in and instantly become Joe Flacco’s favorite target.

Flacco absolutely loves tight ends. In 2016, he targeted Dennis Pitta a whopping 119 times. For reference, 119 targets would have led the Broncos by 21 last season.

Fant should be a sexy fantasy pick and a darkhorse rookie of the year pick. Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello is going to work extremely hard to create mismatches for him, and we just know Flacco will get him the ball.

Zac

Dalton Risner — The Colorado Native had one of the highest floors of all of the players in the draft in my book. His bust potential is as close to zero as a rookie can possibly be.

At pick 41, the Broncos got the real deal along the offensive line.

And because of all of this, his game will translate to the next level immediately, especially at guard where Elway stated he will start his career.

Barring anything drastic, Risner will start every single game along the offensive line and significantly help bolster the unit that has been in the dumps for years. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he ended the season as Denver’s best offensive lineman.

Andre

Noah Fant — Risner is the correct answer as the one immediate starter among the Broncos top picks, as Lock will be relegated to a backup role, while Fant and Jones will be more of specialty players early on.

However, even as just the No. 2 tight end, Fant’s “impact” could be massive because of what he adds to the offense, adding multiplicity to what Denver can do out of two tight end sets. With Fant, you essentially have a tight end and receiver wrapped in one, which will make the Broncos much harder to defend.

Rich Scangarello can use him to stretch the seam and open up space for everyone else, while Joe Flacco has a security blanket on third down and in the red zone. Fant’s impact will go way beyond just being a nice receiving weapon, he opens up options for the Broncos attack and makes them much harder to defend. That, more than any one starter, will have the biggest impact on Denver’s offense in Scangarello’s first season.

WHEN WILL DREW LOCK GET HIS FIRST START?

Ryan

2020 Week 1 — I guess this makes me optimistic about the 2019 Broncos.

I truly believe John Elway means it when he says he wants to keep Drew Lock on the bench until he’s ready. The only problem with that is that when things go downhill on a season, it’s nearly impossible to keep your finger off the trigger with a talented rookie quarterback.

With that being said, I think the Broncos will do everything they can hold off from bringing in Lock until they are at least eliminated from the playoffs and I think Flacco will do enough to keep them in the hunt all season.

I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t see it happening much earlier than that, though.

Zac

Week 13 at home vs. Chargers — Sorry, John, the Joe Flacco and Drew Lock situation isn’t equivalent to the Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers situation that took place in the mid-2000s in Green Bay.

Realistically, the longest Lock will be held on the sideline is Week 1 of 2020, making the current situation in the Mile High City much closer to that of Alex Smith-Patrick Mahomes circa 2017.

What is often forgotten about Mahomes sitting behind Smith his rookie season is Smith had a career year, tossing 26 touchdowns to only five interceptions and leading the Chiefs to the division crown. It was easy for Andy Reid to let Mahomes marinate and learn for a year with Smith playing out of his mind.

If Flacco has a career year and the team is on their way to the division crown, then Lock will be on the bench the entire season, too. But with the second-toughest schedule in the league, along with Flacco not eclipsing a 2-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio since 2014, the odds are not in Joe’s favor.

Lock will be unleashed.

Andre

Week 15 at Kansas City — Wouldn’t this be perfect? the Missouri man kid gets his first start at Arrowhead. So this is a tricky situation, but realistically unless the Broncos are firmly in the playoff race, Lock will start this year, period.

The most realistic time to throw the kid into the fire is going to be in the final three weeks. In many ways, it would make more sense to wait until the final two home games against the Detroit Lions or Oakland Raiders, however making the move by Week 15 could make the most sense if the Broncos are out of it by that point.

Loosely predicting the schedule, I’d have Denver at about 6-and-7 or 5-and-8 entering Week 15, meaning that could be early enough to turn the page and start giving the Broncos quarterback of the future some valuable reps.

WHO WILL FILL DENVER’S BIGGEST REMAINING NEED?

Ryan

Justin? Hollins? — What’s the best way to cover 6-foot-5, 250-pound guys that can run a 4.5? With a 6-foot-5, 250-pound guy that runs a 4.5. Well, that’s at least what is seems like Vic Fangio is thinking when it comes to Justin Hollins.

All offseason, it’s seemed obvious that the Broncos needed help at the inside linebacker position, especially in Vic Fangio’s defense, and it was a surprise to many that the team didn’t select one in the early rounds. But may eyebrows raised in Broncos Country when Vig Fangio said outside linebacker Justin Hollins could end up playing inside in Denver.

Fangio may be playing 3D chess with this move, calling his shot on what could be his next great inside linebacker.

If it’s not Hollins, though, it’s anybody’s guess.

Zac

Vic Fangio — The biggest remaining need isn’t head coach, it’s inside linebacker. And no, Vic isn’t going to strap ‘em up and step on the field—that would end poorly.

Denver’s new head coach is arguably the best linebacker coach in NFL history. That’ll be put to the test this year.

At the Combine, Fangio said he wanted to add multiple linebackers this offseason. So far, the only inside linebackers the Broncos have added for their new coach are undrafted college free agents—not exactly equivalent to the No. 8 overall pick in 2018, Roquan Smith.

The most notable player Elway added for Fangio is outside linebacker Justin Hollins, who the team will try to play at inside backer.

Outside of that, Fangio will have to work with what’s been on the roster—a total of zero Pro Bowls, first, second and third-round picks—to quarterback his defense.

Andre

Joseph Jones — The biggest remaining need could depend on Chris Harris Jr.’s contract stalemate but assuming John can figure that out, it comes down to the interior offensive line, linebacker, or receiver.

To me, once we look at the best fits on the roster and what Denver needs in each of those roles, the biggest remaining need area is linebacker, where it’s a complete mystery who Fangio will use as his rangy cover-backer to take away the middle of the field.

The best darkhorse candidate to be that guy could be standout-special teamer Joseph Jones, who’s played well in spot duty and has the requisite athleticism to fit what Vic wants.

Jones can run with the best of them and is a train coming downhill despite his diminutive size. If he can show enough fluidity in coverage and pick up the defense quickly in camp, he’ll have as good a shot as anyone to fill that void.