Latest NFL Trade Broncos to Sign an experienced Veteran and also national champion QB
Every mock draft over the next 2.5 months will be something Denver Broncos fans want to take a look at.
Not since 2021 has the team had a first-round pick. That alone makes it exciting.
But considering the franchise is likely to move on from QB Russell Wilson and potentially select a Round 1 quarterback for the first time since Paxton Lynch makes it all that more interesting.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid dropped his latest mock draft on Wednesday, and does have the Broncos picking a QB. In fact, it’s the guy who just won the national championship in Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
“The Broncos might sign an experienced veteran, but McCarthy has some traits we’ve seen Payton gravitate toward in the past: The Wolverines star is an instinctive and accurate passer who makes plays to win games. He has really good ball placement, hitting 72.3% of his throws this season,” Reid writes in his piece.
A QB Payton wants is going to be key. Wilson threw a lot of touchdowns this season, 26 in just 15 games, but he and Payton never meshed. The meltdown on the sidelines where Payton screamed at Wilson seemed to be the final straw.
McCarthy was simply pedestrian in the national title game, completing 10-18 passes for 140 yards and zero touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception, but the ground game carried the Wolverines with four total touchdowns.
On the season, McCarthy threw for nearly 3,000 yards to go along with 22 TDs and just four picks. Michigan finished a perfect 15-0.
It’s interesting to see Reid have four quarterbacks go Round 1, with three in the top-3 and then McCarthy at No. 12 to Denver. He doesn’t see Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. or Oregon’s Bo Nix as first-round talents right now.
We’ll see how it all shakes out come the end of April, but buckle up, because this the latest of hundreds of mock drafts that will drop between now and then.
Further Reading:
New mock draft signals Broncos will move on from Russell Wilson
A new mock draft indicates the Denver Broncos will move on from quarterback Russell Wilson even though head coach Sean Payton insisted the team hasn’t made a final decision on his future Tuesday.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid predicted the Broncos will select Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy with the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“The Broncos might sign an experienced veteran, but McCarthy has some traits that we’ve seen Payton gravitate toward in the past,” wrote Reid. “McCarthy is an instinctive and accurate passer who makes plays to win games. He has really good ball placement, hitting 72.3% of his throws this season.”
McCarthy led Michigan to its first national championship in 26 years. However, in 15 games, he only threw 22 TDs and surpassed the 300-passing yard mark once.
“Tell me the game where you’re blown away by his QB ability,” one AFC scout told ESPN’s Matt Miller. Miller added the scout gave him a third-round grade.
While Payton claimed the Broncos might keep Wilson, that seems unlikely after they benched him in Week 17. Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, he started for two months despite knowing the team was mulling moving on from him.
If Denver releases Wilson in 2024 with a post-June 1 designation, it will incur $35.4M in dead money and no cap savings, per Over The Cap. Signing an established veteran isn’t an option; it must draft a replacement.
The Broncos need a can’t-miss prospect after missing the playoffs for eight straight seasons — the second-longest active drought in the NFL. They should consider trading up to take a more polished passer, like North Carolina’s Drake Maye or USC’s Caleb Williams, instead of rolling the dice on McCarthy.
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