Broncos: 3 quarterbacks Denver can draft to replace Drew Lock

Drew Lock hasn’t exactly instilled confidence that he’s the Denver Broncos’ QB of the future. Here are three prospects who can replace him.

The Denver Broncos were well out of playoff position entering Week 15. As with any team not in the postseason picture, they take an extended look at their roster to see who stays and who goes. When it comes to Drew Lock, he didn’t exactly prove that he’s Denver’s quarterback of the future. Granted, his supporting cast is banged up, but he’s not doing himself any favors.

Lock managed to throw for 132 yards and one touchdown on a 62.5 completion percentage, while losing one fumble in Denver’s 48-19 loss to the Buffalo Bills. As has been the case so far this season, Lock shows glimmers of greatness, which are immediately negated by bad plays.

Look, the Broncos aren’t going to get rid of Lock out of this season. But what they can do is utilize the great 2021 quarterback draft class to give him some competition entering next season. Here are three signal callers Denver can draft this April.

Zach Wilson, BYU

The 2021 quarterback class is going to be headlined by Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, who are going to end up on either the New York Jets or Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s just a given. Yet, there are still solid quarterback options following those two stud signal callers. One of those is BYU’s Zach Wilson.

Wilson was a three-star recruit by BYU and emerged into one of the biggest risers in the 2021 NFL Draft. And it’s all thanks to his explosive play in his junior year. He has the ability to uncork a ridiculous deep pass and can make plays on the run. That’s a quarterback the Broncos could use to contend with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

In 11 games this season, Wilson completed 73.2-percent of his passes for 3,267 yards, 30 touchdowns and just three interceptions, all while averaging 10.8 yards per pass. As for his rushing skills, Wilson ran for 242 yards and eight scores on 65 carries.

With the Broncos slated to draft in the 10-15 range, they will most definitely receive calls from teams looking to draft Wilson. If he falls in their laps, general manager John Elway can’t pass him up.

Trey Lance, North Dakota State

Trey Lance isn’t getting much love in the mock drafts this year due to North Dakota State only playing one exhibition game due to the coronavirus pandemic. But if you saw Lance perform in 2019, you can understand why there was so much hype surrounding him.

Lance is the epitome of a dual-threat quarterback, because he’s as deadly on his feet as he is with his arm. In his last full season of work, Lance recorded 2,786 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions while rushing for 1,100 yards and 14 scores on 169 carries.

Sure, Lance played in the Missouri Valley Conference and didn’t really play a desirable amount of snaps in his collegiate career, but his talent is simply too enticing to pass up on. Let’s not forget that esteemed NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah compared Lance’s athleticism to one Andrew Luck, who was deemed the greatest quarterback prospect in the 2010’s. If he’s there, Denver has to draft him.

Kyle Trask, Florida

A newer name that rose up the draft boards throughout this season is Florida’s Kyle Trask. The Gators quarterback showed promise in his first full season in 2019, but he really stepped his game up in his junior year.

Prior to Florida’s SEC Championship Game against Alabama, Trask accumulated 3,717 yards, 40 touchdowns and just five interceptions on a 70.2 completion percentage. Those numbers have put Trask in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race, and deservedly so.

The good thing about Trask is that he’s currently projected to be selected in the second-round of the draft. That would definitely benefit the Broncos, as they can use their first-round pick on the best player available or a position of need (i.e. offensive line). From there, they’re in good position to select a suitable competitor for Lock in Trask.