What does Peyton Manning mentoring Broncos’ Drew Lock mean?

Future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning has been working with Broncos starter Drew Lock. Does this change Denver’s draft plans? 

In today’s NFL, you live or die by the quarterback position. What does that mean for the Denver Broncos? Plenty of speculation on what to do draft night.

The Broncos currently sit with the No. 9 pick entering the 2021 NFL Draft later this month. With a new general manager in George Paton, Denver will have to decide if they want to keep the Drew Lock experiment going for another season or move off him for a new gunslinger.

Lock, 24, has only shown glimpses of greatness in two seasons. And in a loaded quarterback class, adding a name who can reach new heights in the dreaded AFC West would be a welcome change.

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Who could that quarterback be? According to his new quarterback coach, Lock is the right guy.

“Peyton Manning is a big fan of Drew Lock,” Broncos offensive guard Dalton Risner told FanSided’s Matt Lombardo on the Matt Lombardo Show. “Him and Drew have been doing a lot of work this offseason and watching film. If he’s on board with Drew, I’ve been on board with Drew, too. It’s been fun.”

Should the Broncos listen to Manning?

Two quarterbacks have earned the respect of the Broncos’ fanbase since its inaugural season in 1959  —  John Elway and Manning. As the acting GM, Elway moved up in the second round in 2019 to select the Missouri alum to be the franchise guy.

Now, Manning is on board with Lock taking over as the guy for the future.

In 18 career starts over the past two seasons, Lock has completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 3,953 yards, 23 touchdowns, 18 interceptions and a 79.1 quarterback rating. However, he regressed in 2020, leading the NFL in interceptions with 15 on the year.

The Atlanta Falcons have made it known they hope to trade out of the No. 4 pick. Denver would be an ideal trade candidate should they be willing to move off Lock. However, does Manning’s opinion mean anything to Paton and the draft board?

And what about Lock’s teammates? They too also hope to see No. 3 back under center Week 1.

“I hope it’s Drew. I’ve got a faith in Drew Lock,” Risner said. “One thing that we don’t think about is, we talk about these great quarterbacks, and it takes time for them to develop. They didn’t just become a great quarterback overnight. I sat down with Peyton Manning a few weeks ago. We talked about how rough his first couple of seasons were.”

Manning and Elway both led Denver to a Super Bowl. Both struggled their first full season as a starter. Although Lock’s inconsistencies have put concerns on his future, Denver’s personnel still could believe in the upside.

So do his teammates.

“We know this is a huge year, we need to have a better season than 5-11,” Risner said. “I sure hope in six months you look back and say ‘Dude, Dalton was right.'”