Thread: Broncos to host QBs Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock and Daniel Jones for pre-draft visits: Real interest or smokescreen?

PHOENIX — Quarterbacks Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock and Daniel Jones will make predraft visits to the Broncos, general manager John Elway confirmed Sunday during a break at the NFL’s annual meeting.

There are multiple ways to examine this news, which was expected when the Broncos did not meet with the quartet for 15-minute interviews at the scouting combine.

Call it a smokescreen to generate interest from teams picking below them who want to make a deal for the 10th pick.

Call it due diligence to make sure they are prepared to select Haskins in particular should he fall to them.

rest - https://www.denverpost.com/2019/03/2...-draft-visits/

Since Kyler Murray is expected to be the #1 overall pick to the Cardinals, this can only be seen as due diligence. Interview the candidates who, if things go very different than expected, might be available at #10. They can't just say "OMG! We didn't interview Murray, and now he's on the board. What do we do? Do we take him? Do we trade down? What?"

But, nobody sensible thinks Elway is going to take a QB at #10. None of his other moves this off-season makes sense if he was going to do that. If you take a QB at #10 you have to play him. No point letting the dude sit on the bench when you're not strong enough to compete for a SB. This isn't like having Peyton Manning starting and Osweiler sitting on the bench.

Elway has his starter in Flacco and clearly believes Flacco is "in his prime." That means Elway expects him to start for more than 1 year. He only has a couple more years left on his GM contract, and wants to win now. It would be unsurprising if they took a developmental QB in the second or 3rd. They don't have one on the roster now, and need one.

But, at #10? No. It's simply doing their due diligence so that in case something wildly unexpected happens, they are prepared.

Originally Posted by Cugel

But, nobody sensible thinks Elway is going to take a QB at #10.

I consider myself a pretty sensible guy...

Originally Posted by Freyaka

I consider myself a pretty sensible guy...

You have your moments.

Originally Posted by TXBRONC

You have your moments.

My biggest flaw is I'm too easy to trust the QB we have on the roster simply because he's the starter and give him my full support. I've been burned enough on that one, I'm a tad more cautious about it these days.

Originally Posted by Freyaka

My biggest flaw is I'm too easy to trust the QB we have on the roster simply because he's the starter and give him my full support. I've been burned enough on that one, I'm a tad more cautious about it these days.

I give players at all positions the benefit of the doubt, but easier to some players than it is others.

I'll disagree. Elway wants to win now AND later and I think if Lock is there at 10, he grabs him. The 2 other pressing needs are ILB and C/G and there is talent available at both positions later in the draft. If we have ANY success at all next year, the cost to move up for a QB would be insane, so I think the safe bet is getting Lock this year and not having to worry about moving up for a QB of the future next year.

Originally Posted by CoachChaz

I'll disagree. Elway wants to win now AND later and I think if Lock is there at 10, he grabs him. The 2 other pressing needs are ILB and C/G and there is talent available at both positions later in the draft. If we have ANY success at all next year, the cost to move up for a QB would be insane, so I think the safe bet is getting Lock this year and not having to worry about moving up for a QB of the future next year.

Agreed, Elway has many time he wants to win AND later. Whether or not that means he'll take Lock if he's there at 10 I'm not so sure. However, I do expect him to take him to take a quarterback I'm just not convinced it will be in the first round.

Originally Posted by CoachChaz

I'll disagree. Elway wants to win now AND later and I think if Lock is there at 10, he grabs him. The 2 other pressing needs are ILB and C/G and there is talent available at both positions later in the draft. If we have ANY success at all next year, the cost to move up for a QB would be insane, so I think the safe bet is getting Lock this year and not having to worry about moving up for a QB of the future next year.

If he loves Lock then he should draft him at #10 if he's available. If he thinks Lock is a future SB QB then he should even move up and get him. But, based on his moves so far there's no indication that he wants to draft a Qb in the first round this year or that he particularly loves Lock.

As for Flacco, all too many fans and media dismiss him as the future franchise QB of the Broncos. Just because YOU don't believe he can do it doesn't mean ELway believes that! HE clearly thinks Flacco can start for the team for several more years and he just said as much by saying that Flacco is "in his prime."

Well, you don't bench a SB winning QB who's "in his prime."

The fans' desire to draft a QB at #10 is to quickly get RID of Flacco, as a starter, as soon as possible, because the fans do NOT believe that Flacco is "in his prime."

In short you all disagree with Elway and want him to draft a QB and get him in there and develop him immediately and prefer not to wait until next year.

And the argument for doing it this year is that if the team wins 8 or 9 games this year, but doesn't make the playoffs, that's just going to make it harder than ever to move up into the top 3 picks to grab a QB next year, since they'd be picking at #18 or something.

But, is Elway convinced that he has to draft a QB in the top 3? Or does he think he can get a guy in the second or third round and develop him like Russell Wilson or Jimmy Garapolo or Kirk Cousins or Nick Foles, all of whom were taken in the second or later?

Originally Posted by Cugel

If he loves Lock then he should draft him at #10 if he's available. If he thinks Lock is a future SB QB then he should even move up and get him. But, based on his moves so far there's no indication that he wants to draft a Qb in the first round this year or that he particularly loves Lock.

As for Flacco, all too many fans and media dismiss him as the future franchise QB of the Broncos. Just because YOU don't believe he can do it doesn't mean ELway believes that! HE clearly thinks Flacco can start for the team for several more years and he just said as much by saying that Flacco is "in his prime."

Well, you don't bench a SB winning QB who's "in his prime."

The fans' desire to draft a QB at #10 is to quickly get RID of Flacco, as a starter, as soon as possible, because the fans do NOT believe that Flacco is "in his prime."

In short you all disagree with Elway and want him to draft a QB and get him in there and develop him immediately and prefer not to wait until next year.

And the argument for doing it this year is that if the team wins 8 or 9 games this year, but doesn't make the playoffs, that's just going to make it harder than ever to move up into the top 3 picks to grab a QB next year, since they'd be picking at #18 or something.

But, is Elway convinced that he has to draft a QB in the top 3? Or does he think he can get a guy in the second or third round and develop him like Russell Wilson or Jimmy Garapolo or Kirk Cousins or Nick Foles, all of whom were taken in the second or later?

I don't know...fixing the secondary...fixing holes on the OL...getting a legit veteran QB to take the reins for a year or two...

All kind of look like indications that he wants to put the team in a position where they don't have to draft for need (as stated by him and Fangio many times), and can draft a QB for the future. He's in a position right now where he can get Lock in the first and a guy like Mack Wilson or Blake Cashman in the 2nd and a good guard/center in the 3rd and then just draft for depth after that. Holes filled and future secured.

I'd almost say that everything he's done is an indication of going that route. Not to mention the countless stories of how he's "smitten" with Lock and bringing every QB in for a visit.

The view in the national media is that Flacco is mediocre and washed up, that he had one great season, but that was 7 years ago and he hasn't be very good since 2014 which is 5 years ago now.

From everything that Elway has said he views Flacco as a potential SB contending QB if he can build the rest of the team around him. He's still "in his prime." Personally, I think that Flacco's "prime" was long ago and we can't expect him to be very good in Denver and that they should draft a QB and get him ready to start as soon as possible.

But, I don't expect Elway to do it.

Originally Posted by CoachChaz

I'll disagree. Elway wants to win now AND later and I think if Lock is there at 10, he grabs him. The 2 other pressing needs are ILB and C/G and there is talent available at both positions later in the draft. If we have ANY success at all next year, the cost to move up for a QB would be insane, so I think the safe bet is getting Lock this year and not having to worry about moving up for a QB of the future next year.

You like Lock over Haskins Coach?

Originally Posted by WARHORSE

You like Lock over Haskins Coach?

By a fairly slim margin, yes. I think if I saw Haskins do well for more than one season...or even if he did it in a system different from Meyer's, I'd have more faith in him. But, I couldn't tell you which one will be the better pro 5 years from now.

Originally Posted by CoachChaz

I'll disagree. Elway wants to win now AND later and I think if Lock is there at 10, he grabs him. The 2 other pressing needs are ILB and C/G and there is talent available at both positions later in the draft. If we have ANY success at all next year, the cost to move up for a QB would be insane, so I think the safe bet is getting Lock this year and not having to worry about moving up for a QB of the future next year.

Do you agree with this assessment? It's from the latest Walter Football mock?

Originally Posted by Nomad

Do you agree with this assessment? It's from the latest Walter Football mock?

I think 2nd round talent is a bit of a stretch. I'd say late first round. Somewhere along the lines of Paxton Lynch. Although I believe Lock has a much better football acumen than Lynch ever did and I think he'll be a better QB in the long run. Unfortunately, it's a fairly dry QB class this year, so all of their values are inflated a bit. To put it another way, if the top 3 this year had entered last year or next year, they'd rank as probably the 4th, 5th and 6th best QB's available, at best. My opinion.