Tod McShay's mock 2.0

[Freyaka]

I really think a lot of people are going to be disappointed with their extreme lust for Kirk Cousins. He's good but not highest paid player in team history good.

It'd be nice to have him, but I say it's a long shot. I'd call it unlikely, even. Conversely I think Baker Mayfield is the front runner for our first round pick and by far the most likely candidate for our QB vacancy.

Just because someone overpays for Kirk doesn't mean anything really went wrong with free agency. There are a number of potential free agents that could end up making this a very successful free agency signing period.

Out of curiosity if you could have Stafford, Brees, Matt Ryan or Phillip Rivers in their prime, would you consider them worth the money?

[CanDB]

Six O-Linemen in the first round. According to this projection, if Denver traded down with Buffalo, they could get Billy Price and Mike McGlinchey in the first round.

I don't mind that trade, if of course we land Cousins. We could take the best Oliner on the board, and would likely see another stud drop to us. And if we could get one of their 2nd rounders, we could land at least 2 more nice parts to the puzzle in round two.

[Freyaka]

Six O-Linemen in the first round. According to this projection, if Denver traded down with Buffalo, they could get Billy Price and Mike McGlinchey in the first round.

And honestly, that would be amazing if it happened.

[broncos SB2010]

I guess you didn't see: Jacky Lee; Mickey Slaughter; John McCormick; Max Choboian; Scotty Glacken; Steve Tensi; Jim LeClair; Alan Pastrana; Steve Ramsey; and, Don Horn.

I saw some of them

[KWHIT97]

If we take Mayfield at 5 I will puke. He shouldn’t be a 1st rounder let alone top 5. If we’re taking a QB there it better be Josh Allen over Mayfield or Elway needs to pull his lip up over his head and swallow.

[Freyaka]

If we take Mayfield at 5 I will puke. He shouldn’t be a 1st rounder let alone top 5. If we’re taking a QB there it better be Josh Allen over Mayfield or Elway needs to pull his lip up over his head and swallow.

Eww...Josh Allen? At 5? You think Josh Allen is first round worthy? No way, dude's so freaking inaccurate, no way I would take him before the 2nd or 3rd round.

[Capt. Jack]

I kinda like Baker and Rosen, and Darnold, and Allen.
I hope they pick the right one.

[ksubroncosfan]

Eww...Josh Allen? At 5? You think Josh Allen is first round worthy? No way, dude's so freaking inaccurate, no way I would take him before the 2nd or 3rd round.

The more he keeps saying he’ll puke if mayfield is picked, the more I find myself wanting Baker

[JvDub95]

If we take Mayfield at 5 I will puke. He shouldn’t be a 1st rounder let alone top 5. If we’re taking a QB there it better be Josh Allen over Mayfield or Elway needs to pull his lip up over his head and swallow.

Name this QB......

ANALYSIS
Positives... Touch passer with the ability to read and diagnose defensive coverages...Confident leader who knows how to take command in the huddle...Very tough and mobile moving around in the pocket...Has a quick setup and is very effective throwing on the move...Throws across his body with great consistency...Hits receivers in stride and improvises his throws in order to make a completion...Puts good zip behind the short and mid-range passes...Shows good judgement and keen field vision...Has a take-charge attitude and is very cool under pressure...Hits receivers in motion with impressive velocity...Has superb pocket presence and uses all of his offensive weapons in order to move the chains...Has solid body mechanics and quickness moving away from center... Elusive scrambler with the body control to avoid the rush.

Negatives... Plays in the spread offense, taking the bulk of his snaps from the shotgun... Tends to side-arm his passes going deep...Lacks accuracy and touch on his long throws... Seems more comfortable in the short/intermediate passing attack...Does not possess the ideal height you look for in a pro passer, though his ability to scan the field helps him compensate in this area...Will improvise and run when the passing lanes are clogged, but tends to run through defenders rather than trying to avoid them to prevent unnecessary punishment.

[JvDub95]

Name this QB......

ANALYSIS
Positives... Touch passer with the ability to read and diagnose defensive coverages...Confident leader who knows how to take command in the huddle...Very tough and mobile moving around in the pocket...Has a quick setup and is very effective throwing on the move...Throws across his body with great consistency...Hits receivers in stride and improvises his throws in order to make a completion...Puts good zip behind the short and mid-range passes...Shows good judgement and keen field vision...Has a take-charge attitude and is very cool under pressure...Hits receivers in motion with impressive velocity...Has superb pocket presence and uses all of his offensive weapons in order to move the chains...Has solid body mechanics and quickness moving away from center... Elusive scrambler with the body control to avoid the rush.

Negatives... Plays in the spread offense, taking the bulk of his snaps from the shotgun... Tends to side-arm his passes going deep...Lacks accuracy and touch on his long throws... Seems more comfortable in the short/intermediate passing attack...Does not possess the ideal height you look for in a pro passer, though his ability to scan the field helps him compensate in this area...Will improvise and run when the passing lanes are clogged, but tends to run through defenders rather than trying to avoid them to prevent unnecessary punishment.

Now this 1.......


Strengths:
Play-maker
Gunslinger attitude
Instincts
Can be an accurate passer with good ball placement
Throws receivers open
Excellent touch passer
Throws a very catchable ball
Superb ball placement and timing to lead receivers for yards after the catch
Throws with good timing
Mobility
Escapability to extend plays
Difficult to sack
Good at throwing on the run
Can pick up yards on the ground
Enough arm to make all the throws in the NFL
Leadership potential


Weaknesses:
Undersized; shorter than ideal
Poor footwork
Gets happy feet in the pocket
Inconsistent field vision
Can have issues reading the field
Teams question how will he perform when forced to stay in the pocket?
Didn't play a lot of top competition
Maturity
Will need more development for working under center
Transition from a college-style to pro-style offense

[JvDub95]

Now this 1.......


Strengths:
Play-maker
Gunslinger attitude
Instincts
Can be an accurate passer with good ball placement
Throws receivers open
Excellent touch passer
Throws a very catchable ball
Superb ball placement and timing to lead receivers for yards after the catch
Throws with good timing
Mobility
Escapability to extend plays
Difficult to sack
Good at throwing on the run
Can pick up yards on the ground
Enough arm to make all the throws in the NFL
Leadership potential


Weaknesses:
Undersized; shorter than ideal
Poor footwork
Gets happy feet in the pocket
Inconsistent field vision
Can have issues reading the field
Teams question how will he perform when forced to stay in the pocket?
Didn't play a lot of top competition
Maturity
Will need more development for working under center
Transition from a college-style to pro-style offense

and 1 more.....

Strengths:
Extremely patient in the pocket. Remains calm, keeps his eyes downfield and stands tall even as the pocket is collapsing around him. Impressive athlete; former minor-league baseball player. Can buy time with his feet and is also a threat to take off running. Impressive accuracy on all throws. Arm strength isn’t elite, but has more than enough strength to make all the throws. Does a nice job on play action and pump fakes. Plenty of experience; four-year starter. Made smooth transition from N.C. State to Wisconsin and clearly picked up Badgers offense quickly and excelled from the start. Strong fundamentals; nice over-the-top throwing motion minimizes impact of his height.

Weakness:
Accuracy becomes shaky on the run; will miss some wide-open receivers when rolling outside the pocket (see first 2011 MSU game). Decision making typically strong, but does make some poor decisions under extreme pressure (took safety vs MSU by throwing ball away; also made uncharacteristic number of mistakes vs OSU, arguably best defense he faced in career). Undersized; a limited number of quarterbacks with his height excel at the next level.

[KWHIT97]

Eww...Josh Allen? At 5? You think Josh Allen is first round worthy? No way, dude's so freaking inaccurate, no way I would take him before the 2nd or 3rd round.

People are quick to dismiss him but I’m on record as saying he will be the best QB from this class.

[DENVERSB50CHAMP]

i just want a real QB on the roster next year. I do not want to see Trevor or Brock and I really do not want to see Pax ( I know he is under the Rookie Contract ) under center for Denver ever again.

[JvDub95]

i just want a real QB on the roster next year. I do not want to see Trevor or Brock and I really do not want to see Pax ( I know he is under the Rookie Contract ) under center for Denver ever again.

I am about 99.99999% sure we won't see Trevor, Brock or Paxton under center next year, unless which ever QB we do sign gets injured. Even in that case, Chad Kelly will be the QB that gets a look, I guarantee it.

[Johnny Football]

Any future Paxton or Trevor had in Denver died last season under Joseph and McCoy. Trevor has looked both really good and really bad at times. A lot of his mistakes looked correctable, a big one being not stepping up in the pocket. One of his big attributes was his willingness to learn and put the study time in, which you absolutely have to have. His shoulder injuries were definitely a concern, not sure how dependable he is after being injured two seasons in a row, plus the college ACL. He was hit a lot though. Trevor could have benefitted from somebody like Kubiak. His lack of fire on the field was also something I didn't like, but again I think there's a chance Kubiak could have installed that in him over time with a constant vote of confidence. Vance and McCoy did none of our QBs any good which is a huge concern. After looking great the first two weeks we just didn't seem to adjust well after we were figured out. Then you hear reports of McCoy calling plays in game that hadn't been practiced in weeks, or even since training camp. You can't do that unless you have someone like Brady, Manning or Brees. Even then it's not ideal, definitely not in a brand new system.

No doubt, I think Trevor should be cut before camp, especially if we are to draft a quarterback early. I don't want Trevor coming into camp looking good again, and then forcing another young quarterback to sit on the bench. In hindsight, despite Paxton being no where near ready, and not earning any sort of repetitions last off-season, with the way the season turned out, I would of preferred to see him start all year long. I have never had any hope for Paxton Lynch, however with his small salary, he should be kept around, and hopefully at some point something clicks with him.