Allbright: ‘Drew Lock has tools the Broncos like’

Benjamin Allbright joined the 1st and 10 @ 10 crew on Monday to talk Senior Bowl and quarterbacks.

And guess what?

No one still knows what John Elway and his new coaching staff will do at quarterback this offseason, but Allbright thinks Elway and Co. did like what they saw from their favorite college prospect so far - Drew Lock.

“They got answers they liked in Mobile,” Allbright said, adding that there’s no clear picture on whether this will be their guy in the first round (if he’s even available to the Broncos). “They’re definitely excited about him. ...He has tools they like - he’s got a big arm, got athleticism, throws well on the run. Plus there’s leadership aspect. Seeing him in the press conferences where he was an absolute star; he had the crowd mesmerized during those pressers and that’s just being a leader.”

Allbright added that “the leadership aspect” is key for Elway too.

“You can tell if a guy can throw in 20 or 30 throws, but is this guy a fit for your team? Is he a fit for the league? Or is he a Jay Cutler?”

Although that comment didn’t get a laugh out of Ryan Edwards, Andrew Mason or Steve Atwater, I thought it was funny - and a good question.

And it comes primarily from the one-on-one interviews and the observations on the sideline too.

“All the tape and box-score scouting in the world doesn’t tell you what kind of person these guys are - are they a guy who aggressively pursues more knowledge, are they a guy who wants to hone his craft, or a guy who wants to sit at home and play video games all day,” Allbright said, adding it “wasn’t a shot at anyone in particular” but was another piece to finding out the “character” of the incoming players.

“What motivates them? Do they want to be a legacy? Do they want to be a winner? Or do they want to collect a paycheck?” Allbright said.

As for Lock’s potential to be a starter for the Broncos, Allbright still thinks the former Mizzou QB needs to clean up his footwork, but he believes the former Tiger could come in midway through a season if the team were out of contention or the starting QB were hurt.

That’s not a glowing endorsement, but Allbright added that “a competent quarterbacks coach” could “get him nailed down pretty quick.”

If the Broncos don’t go QB in the first round - or just looking ahead to who the Broncos might be interested in the second and third rounds - Allbright did list a few interesting players he thinks Elway may take a long look at, including:

Daylon Mack, a defensive lineman out of Texas A&M;

LSU’s star corner Greedy Williams;

Dalton Risner, the Broncos-loving Kansas State offensive lineman from Wiggins, Colo.

NC State’s Germaine Pratt, an inside linebacker that would fit a Vic Fangio-type defense.

Mock away!

Bonus info - Atwater to the HOF!

Allbright was also asked to make a case for Steve Atwater deserving the Hall of Fame, and the former pro scout said it is important the Broncos fans and media re-emphasize that the Hall of Fame is about telling the story of the NFL - and if there is an iconic play that is used to do that time and again it’s “The Hit” on Christian Okoye.

So how can the player who embodies what the NFL is not be in the Hall of Fame? Exactly.