Drew Lock is fun, he’s exciting, but is he a leader?

Through his first two seasons, not much points to his leading the offense or the entire team. He seems to be well liked, moving and grooving on the sidelines as well as in the field to celebrate big plays, but does he know how to lead teammates, some of whom are much older than him?

A quarterback can’t just be the guy calling “hut” and throwing the ball down the field, he’s got to be a leader of men, pushing them to get the most out of themselves and holding them accountable. Think: Peyton Manning calling out offensive linemen in his first year with the Broncos.

In fact, Lock slipped up in the leadership department last year, as head coach Vic Fangio said he wished the starting QB would have been a better about following COVID-19 protocols.

But, Lock’s taking his third offseason seriously.

Last year, the young QB couldn’t get into the building at Dove Valley due to the pandemic. That meant missing out on valuable training and learning time when it came to meeting new teammates and taking in Pat Shurmur’s new offense.

This year, though, Lock has heard the criticisms. He realizes he was near or at the bottom of the NFL in terms of basically every stat and analytical data point available. And, the 24-year old has heard the rumblings about Denver going after Deshaun Watson, Matthew Stafford and possibly Carson Wentz, too.

As new GM George Paton said Thursday, “We’re always going to try and bring in competition to every position, the quarterback as well.” Lock’s heard about the soon-to-be new competition for him, as well.

But, it seems Lock has used that as motivation to start impressing that new GM as well as his teammates.

“I did a deep drive on Drew.[He’s] very talented,” Paton also said on Thursday. “He was inconsistent at times and has a lot to work on, but I’ve spoken with Drew. I see him every day. He’s here early and he’s working. He really wants to be great.”

This crucial offseason, Lock is showing up first and leaving last, just like a true leader should. It’s impressing not only Paton, but wide receiver Tim Patrick as well.

“…His approach to the game has been 100 percent different than it was during the season,” Patrick explained per Mike Klis. “He’s one of the first guys in the building. One of the last guys to leave. He’s doing the small things to be a great player in this league.”

Lock has a lot to work on in terms of footwork, timing, processing, throwing the ball away instead of forcing it; but, these are issues which can be fine tuned and limited with enough hard work.

“I think he understands it. I think this talk about bringing in other quarterbacks has motivated him,” Patrick continued. “And I think he should have a big season this year.”

Lock has shown some glimpses of greatness, specifically, in his three games with a plus-100 passer rating. Those came in Houston in 2019 (309 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), at Carolina (280, 4 TD, 0 INT) and the season finale last year against Las Vegas at home (339, 2 TD, 0 INT).

He must focus on playing more like he did in those games and less like the guy who threw 10 picks during a five-game stretch in the middle of this season.

Lock has been wildly inconsistent, which Paton himself admitted to when he saw the young gun-slinger’s tape. Now, considering No. 3 is still the odds-on favorite to be the starter in 2021, everyone in Broncos Country has to hope he can find consistency through showing diligent devotion to learning this offseason.