Broncos GM describes Justin Fields and Trey Lance exactly like he did with Drew Lock

Denver Broncos general manager George Paton described quarterback prospects Justin Fields and Trey Lance exactly like he did with Drew Lock.

The top 10 of the first-round in the 2021 NFL Draft is expected to be dominated by the quarterback position. The Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers are all expected to take a signal caller in the first three picks. But, there is intrigue as to whether the Denver Broncos would take a quarterback if any prospect were to fall to the ninth-overall selection in the NFL Draft.

New Broncos general manager George Paton spoke with the media this past week, and he talked about the Ohio State’s Justin Fields and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, who both could be on the board once the Broncos are on the clock.

“They’re different. Both are elite athletes with really strong arms,” Paton said, via Chad Jensen of Sports Illustrated. “Both are really talented and smart. They have all the intangibles you want in quarterbacks and football players. They’re raw a little bit, but really high ceilings for both players.”

It is interesting to note, however, that Paton made similar comments about current Broncos quarterback Drew Lock last month.

Broncos: George Paton speaks about quarterback prospects Justin Fields and Trey Lance

Paton says that Fields, Lance and Lock each have all the desirable quarterback traits. But does that mean Lock is a “lock” to be the starter in 2021?

This week, Paton did stress that he wants to have a competition at the quarterback position, but said they do not want to force it. You can listen to Paton’s comments below, via Brandon Kristzal of KOA News Radio in Colorado.

Lock is coming off a rather down season, his first in full as Denver’s starting quarterback. In 13 regular-season games, Lock completed 57.3-percent of his passes for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

The time leading up to the NFL Draft is known as “smokescreen season,” as team executives are trying to trick other teams about their draft strategy through the media. Is it entirely out of the realm of possibility that the Broncos take a quarterback at ninth-overall? Of course not.

Paton is in his first season with the Broncos, and all new general managers like to bring in their own signal caller. But, we do not know how the draft board will look like, as the top five quarterback prospects could hypothetically be off the board by the time the Broncos are on the clock. We will get our official answer about the Broncos’ quarterback plans at the conclusion of the NFL Draft next Saturday night.