Broncos must be cautious in taking QB with top pick

The 2021 NFL Draft is two weeks away, and Broncos Country just can’t get enough of the prospect of Denver trading into the top five to draft a future franchise quarterback.

It’s no joke in the NFL. If you don’t have a quarterback, you aren’t going to win. That’s why teams are always impatient when it comes to the most important position in sports.

This year’s draft is expected to have five quarterbacks drafted in the top 10, and there is a strong likelihood the first five picks will all be quarterbacks.

A trade up by the Broncos is possible, as the team currently sits with the ninth-overall pick and need a quarterback.

However, general manager George Paton and company need to be cautious, as just because you need a quarterback doesn’t mean you should draft one.

Getting desperate for a quarterback can force teams into bad decisions. The 2011 NFL Draft had one great quarterback prospect — Cam Newton — and some other projected first rounders — Jake Locker, Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert.

While there weren’t five drafted No. 1-5 (as may happen in 2021), the 2011 draft did feature a run on quarterbacks … and it turned out to be embarrassing.

In the top 12 picks, four quarterbacks were selected: Newton (Carolina Panthers), Locker (Tennessee Titans), Gabbert (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Ponder (Minnesota Vikings).

Of those four, only Newton obtained any level of success in the NFL. Ponder and Locker are out of the NFL, and Gabbert is living the dream collecting Super Bowl rings as Tom Brady’s backup.

What makes this 2011 run on quarterbacks look particularly bad is the non-QBs drafted in the top 12, which featured some of the best players in the NFL during the past decade. The list includes: Miller (Broncos), Marcell Dareus (Buffalo Bills), A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals), Patrick Peterson (Arizona Cardinals), Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons), Aldon Smith (San Francisco 49ers), Tyron Smith (Dallas Cowboys) and J.J. Watt (Houston Texans).

All of those players have at least one Pro Bowl appearance, and Miller, Peterson, Jones, Tyron Smith and Watt could all be headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dareus and Aldon Smith would be considered the least successful of these players. The former was a two-time Pro Bowler and the latter an elite pass rusher before off the field issues derailed his career.

It doesn’t get better when you look at the players drafted after 12th overall — like Ryan Kerrigan, Mike Pouncey and Nate Solder. To make matters worse, the second round featured quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick, who both had much better careers than Locker, Gabbert or Ponder.

The 2021 NFL Draft features some great non-quarterback prospects as well. Kyle Pitts, Penei Sewell, Ja’Marr Chase, Patrick Surtain II, Caleb Farley, Micah Parsons, Rashawn Slater are all projected to be Day One starters in the NFL.
The Broncos would be ridiculous to not consider one of these studs.

It can be exciting in the moment to get enamored with the idea of drafting a franchise quarterback. However, as the 2011 NFL Draft displays, those rose-colored glasses regarding the quarterback position can blind a team from taking an elite player.

Locker, Gabbert and Ponder were busts. They basically contributed little to nothing to the teams that drafted them. Taking a measured approach allowed other teams in the top 12 in 2011 to draft players who could help their teams reach the playoffs.

Taking Miller second overall in 2011 is maybe the best draft pick in Broncos history. The team need a quarterback, as the room of Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow offered no real hope for the long-term prospects at the position.

The decision paid off, and Miller is on the Mount Rushmore of Broncos players.

If Paton and the Broncos opt to stay at No. 9 and draft a non-quarterback, they will have some great options available. Pitts and Sewell could be top five at their positions the day they walk onto an NFL field.

It’s important to note that Miller is the only Super Bowl winner of those players drafted in the top 12 in 2011 (Gabbert doesn’t count). Yes, Miller was the MVP of Super Bowl 50, but he would have never gotten close if Peyton Manning didn’t come to Denver.

It’s far better to draft a future star at another position than to take a quarterback bust (Paxton Lynch). But to eventually return to the Super Bowl, the Broncos need to figure out who is its next signal caller.

Paton and the Broncos need to be fully confident in a quarterback’s potential to draft him in the top 10. If they don’t believe in a quarterback, then Denver should look at other positions and draft a quality player.

The Broncos picked Miller and the following offseason found its franchise quarterback in Manning. Patience can pay off.