The two improvements that have propelled Drew Lock’s fantastic start

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Drew Lock has lit the league on fire in his first two NFL starts. The second-round pick currently leads the league in QBR and is third in passer rating, all while going a pristine 2-0 since taking over as the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback in Week 13.

But despite the incredible amount of success he’s had, there’s still skepticism and doubters lurking around No. 3. That’s perfectly understandable, too.

Not only has it just been two games for Lock, but there were a significant amount of questions surrounding the 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback as he entered the NFL Draft in the spring, specifically about his poor footwork and inconsistent accuracy.

There were so many questions and doubts, in fact, that Lock was the fourth quarterback taken in the draft and he fell all the way to the second round.

Heck, John Elway and the Broncos weren’t even completely sold on Lock as a prospect as they passed on taking him three times before finally nabbing him with the 42nd-overall pick.

But his unfathomable 83.3 QBR and 111.4 passer rating in his first two starts haven’t been a fluke thanks to the “very hard” work he’s done since becoming a Bronco.

“He has changed his throwing mechanics since college and it is showing up on the tape,” Rich Scangarello said, going out of his way to praise the rookie quarterback. “His feet are in the ground. He’s throwing with a great base. It’s why he’s not retreating all the time. He’s throwing the ball more accurately. He’s throwing the ball more confidently. He likes our footwork and he’s bought into it.”

Lock unquestionably had the tangibles—size, arm strength and mobility—and intangibles—leadership and unwavering confidence—to have been a top pick in April’s draft. But his footwork and accuracy were too much for every team in the league to overcome to take him in the first round.

In less than eight months, those two concerns have been quelled, according to his offensive coordinator and quarterback guru.

In college, Lock was knocked for his feet not being set when he threw. Now, “his feet are in the ground.” At Missouri, Lock had a 56.9 completion percentage in college, with a career-best 62.9 percent his senior year.

Through two games at the next level, Lock’s at a whopping 72.7 completion percent. He’s currently coming off a game where he threw for a mind-blowing 81.48 percent on Sunday.

Will all of these incredible numbers stay put as Lock plays more games? Likely not, or else he’ll be the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. But after his recent improvements to his game, it shouldn’t be as big of a surprise that a second-round quarterback is lighting the league up.

In fact, Scangarello found it very difficult to find areas of Lock’s game that he needs to improve.

“He’s taken two steps in hopefully a really long journey in his career. He’s done some good things. He’s been very humble. He’s approached it the right way,” Denver’s offensive coordinator said, when asked what Lock can improve on. “I just want to continue to see him do that because this league can punch you in the mouth at any time and there’s going to be those setbacks. So far he’s shown to just keep plugging along, keep his feet on the ground and work at his craft. That’s what I want to continue to see, continue to do that.”

Continue to do what you’re doing, Drew.

Another reason Lock is finding success is the traits that elevated him in college have translated well to the NFL.

“Honestly, that’s why Drew was such a highly regarded player in college. He can throw from different arm angles, different platforms,” Scangarello said on Thursday. “He played in a spread offense that allowed him to improvise in some ways that didn’t always have a rhythm to what was going on in the play and he had to find a way within the play to make it happen. I think he’s done a good job of that over his career and I think it’s one of his traits that’s a real strength.”

On 2nd-and-11 in the second quarter against the Texans, Lock completed a relatively routine slant pass to Tim Patrick for a first down. While another pass to the lengthy wide receiver stood out as more impressive to most, this one caught Scangarello’s attention more than any other pass on the day.

“Most quarterback’s in the league would have had the ball tipped. The D-lineman was coming free and got his hands up, but his release—he was able to change his arm angle and fit it in there,” Scangarello explained. “Those are little things that change games that a lot of people don’t notice.”

Game changers, some may say.

The book on Lock is only on chapter—or even page—two. But the differences from the prologue—i.e. Drew’s college days—and where he is now are drastic. And that’s why Drew Lock’s hot start shouldn’t be considered fluky anymore.