Be the GM: Broncos Vote Mock 2.0

When Drew Lock entered the starting lineup last season, the Broncos were 3-8 and left for dead. Wins against the hapless Chargers, bumbling Patricia’s and Bill O’Brien’s did more than mar the dismay at a 23-3 drubbing in Arrowhead. Shelby Harris’ batted pass locked in a dub against Jon Gruden and the Raiders to finish the season of 7-9, and the offseason of Lock began in earnest.

It’s been a long year since. A lack of practice time didn’t help a young offense, so there is reason to believe something resembling a “boring” offseason would help the young offense. There is also concern among parts of Broncos’ Country that the issues Drew Lock, Pat Shurmur, Vic Fangio, and others displayed won’t improve and that change is necessary.

As of now, it appears Vic Fangio is safe. The same can’t be said for the Broncos quarterback or Tom McMahon.

Despite the Broncos struggling to a 4-7 start to the season, Allbright was quick to dismiss the possibility of Fangio losing his job. He expects changes to be made on special teams and the team to draft another quarterback to compete with Drew Lock, who has regressed in his second season as the starter. Pauline pointed to the QB position, both in terms of Lock’s injuries and the extraordinary circumstances that led to Kendall Hinton starting, as factors that will work in Fangio’s favor. He’s heard the same as Allbright – Fangio is safe.

Yesterday you asked me what I would do in the NFL draft if the Broncos fall their way into the top 10 of the 2021 NFL Draft. Today, I wanted to work through a scenario and see what you all think. Before we get rolling I want to be as transparent as possible, the Broncos are currently 12th in the draft order. Last time we did a vote mock, four quarterbacks went in the first six picks. This time they did not.

The following draft order is based in part on what I believe could happen with Football Outsiders’ Playoff Odds Report in mind. It simulated the NFL season 30,000 times. At present, the Broncos have a

• .2% chance at the postseason.
• No chance at a playoff win.
• 14.1% chance at a top 5 pick in the 2021 draft.
• No chance at Trevor Lawrence.

I chose to lean on the Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine for this scenario and strongly recommend it if you’re an armchair GM like me.

1. New York Jets - QB - Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

2. Jacksonville Jaguars - QB - Justin Fields, OSU

Odds are it becomes a debate between Lawrence and Fields at some point leading up to the draft because there’s months of time for talking heads to fill. I’d consider both their floors the 2nd overall pick, barring a huge falloff in play or some sort of unforeseen character flag.

3. Cincinnati Bengals - WR - Ja’Marr Chase, LSU

So long as ol’ Joe’s leg remains attached to his body, the Bungles aren’t picking another quarterback in the top five. Even with Jonah Williams settling in, it’d make sense to consider Penei Sewell here. Mike Brown elects to replace A.J. Green with Chase and Burrow connects with one of his favorite targets.

The 2021 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Class Could Be As Special As 2020’s - The Ringer

4. Philadelphia Eagles - LB - Micah Parsons, Penn State

Perhaps the most hopeless situation in the NFL this season. The Iggles have an insanely bloated 2021 cap ledger while Carson Wentz is on pace for one of the worst passing seasons in NFL history. He carries a dead cap hit of $59 million in 2021.

If the Eagles do not elect to move on from Wentz, they need to find a way to win in spite him. While Penei Sewell could make a ton of sense, Roseman drafted Andre Dillard in the first round two years ago only to lose him to a biceps injury. Parsons could help mitigate the damage of a loss like Derek Barnett and drastically upgrade the second level of the defense.

5. Vote for who you would draft Broncos Country!

Your Broncos’ News

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Tackling your questions about Von Miller, Alexander Johnson, Mark Barron, the draft, free agency, and more.

Denver Broncos: Here’s how Drew Lock has fared against the blitz - Mile High Report

How Drew Lock has fared when blitzed and what, if anything, might Par Shurmur do to help the young quarterback moving forward.

There’s the still some good football being played by the Denver Broncos - Mile High Report

Particularly on the defensive side.

How can the Denver Broncos attack the Kansas City Chiefs defense? - Mile High Report

I spoke with Arrowhead Pride’s Craig Stout to find out.

John Elway explains his goal for the Broncos over their final five games

Elway told Milani that he appreciated the way that Lock has owned up to that disappointment during his recent press conference, and he added that he hopes the quarterbacks will be able to put that mistake behind them with a fine performance during Sunday’s game.

“I think that he’s done a nice job in the way that he’s answered all the questions, and obviously there’s probably no one more disappointed about it than him, as well as all the quarterbacks,” Elway said. “So they realize that the situation that they didn’t handle right, it cost not only them, but it cost … our football team, too. I think that’s punishment enough for those guys. They realize that, and hopefully we can put that behind us and come out and play better this week.”

NFL News

Film Reviews of Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Kyle Trask, and Mac Jones - Slant Route - Football Analysis by Brad Kelly

Here are some audio breakdowns of All-22 film of the NFL Draft’s top ranked quarterbacks, organized from my YouTube channel. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson Justin Fields, Ohio State Zach Wilson, BYU Trey Lance, North Dakota State Kyle Trask, Florida Mac Jones, Alabama

5 Players Who Could Be Top-100 Picks That Didn’t Make Weissman’s Mock Draft 3.2 | The Draft Network

The 2020 college football season has, against all odds, nearly reached the conclusion.

Could 49ers Playoff Push Spell The End For Jimmy Garoppolo In San Francisco? | The Draft Network

Yes, they do still have a chance to make the playoffs as the final wild-card team, but I ultimately think they will fall short of that goal. If they happen to attain it, head coach Kyle Shanahan making the postseason with the roster he’s been given this year and the circumstances he’s had to deal with will almost be as impressive as reaching the Super Bowl with a better team last season.

Latest NFL head coach rumors surrounding Eric Bieniemy, Robert Saleh

PFN Insiders Benjamin Allbright and Tony Pauline share the latest NFL head coach news and rumors including Eric Bieniemy & Robert Saleh.

Friday’s NFL injury and roster news for Week 13

WR Allen Robinson (knee) is questionable for the Bears’ Week 13 meeting with the Detroit Lions. The listing was a surprise, as Robinson hadn’t appeared on the injury report until Friday. Here’s other news, injuries and transactions we’re tracking.

2020 NFL Predictions | FiveThirtyEight

FiveThirtyEight’s 2020 NFL forecast uses an Elo-based model to calculate each team’s chances of advancing to the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl.