GM Paton, HC Hackett reveal what they want in their quarterbacks

Toughness. Intelligence. Accuracy. Athleticism.

These 4 traits were emphatically stated by Denver Broncos Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett in what he looks for in his quarterbacks at the Combine yesterday. Hackett went on to elaborate further:

“I think when you look at a quarterback, my job is to fit the system to him. Every quarterback’s different, every guy plays different. You can look across the league and there’s under-center offenses, spread offenses. The idea is to figure out what those guys do and what they’re comfortable in and kind of always make them feel uncomfortable, too, because you want them to grow and do other things and that can possibly get into their menu of things that they can do. At the same time, when it’s crunch time and they feel like they need a little help, you have to help them do what they do best.”

General Manager George Paton backed up Hackett’s belief in an interview with Pro Football Talk later that day.

However, George Paton also added further general scouting thought on what the quarterback position should look like.

In that specific interview, Paton mentioned he believes a quarterback should have some athleticism and that “hand size is important”.

Reading into that specific statement, to me, rules out Nevada QB Carson Strong and Pitt QB Kenny Pickett. Strong has clear mobility concerns and his medical history might scare the Broncos away from him if they are looking for athletes. Pickett, at 8 1/4’’ hands, would have the smallest hand size recorded from a quarterback. If hand size is as important as Paton said, it’s tough to imagine that keeps him on their board.

Where it gets tricky is that virtually all of the quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft can get eliminated based on one or multiple of the factors Hackett and Paton revealed today. While we got an important look behind the curtain on their scouting beliefs, it feels like the picture on their future quarterback looks as murky as it did a week ago.

Horse Tracks

Denver Broncos GM George Paton says ‘Everything is on the table’ to find QB for 2022 season

General manager George Paton at the NFL scouting combine said that “everything is on the table’’ in the team’s pursuit of a quarterback, including trading multiple first-round picks to get one or bringing back Teddy Bridgewater or Drew Lock for 2022.

NFL Combine notebook: KJ Hamler ‘doing really well’ as he rehabs ACL injury

General Manager George Paton said wide receiver KJ Hamler, who tore his ACL in a Week 3 game against the Jets, is “doing really well” in his rehab process.

Insider Casts Doubt on Broncos Viewing Any 2022 QB Prospect Worthy of Top-10 Pick

9News insider Mike Klis believes Denver “likely doesn’t view any QB worth it in top-10, but wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade up to take one later” and added that he would be “surprised” if they didn’t draft one in the first two rounds.