1. Paxton Lynch
EXPERIENCE: Junior
PROJECTED ROUND: 1st/2nd HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-7/244 LBS
CAREER NUMBERS: 62.9% completion; 8,865 yards passing; 59 passing TDs; 23 INTs; 687 yards rushing; 17 rushing TDs
Miss Brock Osweiler? Well meet Brock Osweiler 2.0.
At 6-foot-7, meet the more-athletic, better-experienced, stronger-armed Paxton Lynch.
Lynch was destined to fly under the radar playing at Memphis, but countless “splash” plays have brought him into the national spotlight. And if the draft had been held midseason, there’s a very good chance he could have been the first quarterback off the board — a top-15 pick at the worst.
That said, Lynch did see his production fall off down the homestretch of the 2015 season, and in the Tigers’ bowl game against Auburn, he looked nothing like a top-tier quarterback prospect, completing just 43 percent of his passes for 106 yards and an interception.
Still, if he’s not a first-round pick, he’s an early second, and that means he’s right in the Broncos’ wheelhouse. If he’s available at the 31st pick, I’m not sure how John Elway passes him up, especially if the only other quarterback on the roster is Mark Sanchez. And if he’s available at the 24th or 25th pick, I’m not sure how Elway doesn’t trade up to get him.
He’s got plenty of upside, and while he may need a good deal more grooming than guys like Carson Wentz and Jared Goff, he has the chance to be the long-term option in Denver.
