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It can’t be helped that NFL Draft Analysts around the country have focused in on Drew Lock as the Denver Broncos best move of the 2019 NFL Draft. It’s not because Lock is a better pick than Noah Fant or Dalton Risner, but rather that John Elway was able to avoid reaching too high for Lock.
Todd McShay looked over each teams draft classes to find the best value pick for each team. He, along with others, could find no fault in how the Broncos ended up navigating themselves into getting Lock - who was once touted as a Top 10 pick - in the second round of the draft.
I really like the Broncos’ strategy over the first two days of the draft. First, they moved back Thursday and selected a talented tight end in Noah Fant (Iowa) while also adding two extra picks. That trade set them up to take Lock on Friday night as a serious value. He has the best arm in the class and comes with great mobility. Frankly, I’m really shocked he fell out of the first round.
His tape was up and down at Mizzou, but let’s be honest, Lock didn’t have much to work with there. And in the three-plus seasons that he started for the Tigers, he went through three coordinators and was frequently at a disadvantage in terms of offensive assets and opposing defensive prowess. There’s no need to throw him to the fire in Denver just yet with Joe Flacco in town, so he can learn how to be an NFL quarterback before bringing his athleticism to Mile High. And because Lock was actually the team’s third pick of the draft, rather than a first-rounder anointed the QB of the future, the pressure is off Flacco a bit. Denver did a nice job maneuvering this entire situation. Lock could be really special if developed properly.
Why do we keep sharing these stories with Broncos fans? Because these are the stories people are talking about nationally. Even if Lock turns out to end up not being a starting-caliber quarterback, Elway played this situation perfectly and that deserves praise in the weeks after the draft.
The reason being is because it sure looks like they’ll have two long-term starters on this roster in both Noah Fant at tight end and Dalton Risner at guard. Hitting on the first two picks is probably the most important task for any GM in the draft and Elway appears to have done just that. Lock is a luxury pick and in this case, a value pick.
Not much to dislike about the move.