John Elway’s search for a franchise quarterback continues.
Elway confirmed to reporters at the league meeting today that he wants to take a close look at all of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s NFL draft and that the Broncos will host Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins and Duke quarterback Daniel Jones for pre-draft visits.
Those four are considered by most to be the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. The Broncos have the 10th overall pick and at least one, perhaps as many as three, of those four should be there when Denver makes its pick. Murray is likely to be off the board and the Broncos would probably have to trade all the way up to No. 1 with the Cardinals if they wanted him.
Although Elway scored when he convinced Peyton Manning to sign with the Broncos in free agency, he has otherwise been unsuccessful at finding a franchise quarterback. He spent a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch and a second-round pick on Brock Osweiler, neither of whom lived up to his draft status. If Elway drafts a quarterback this year, the idea would likely be to have him spend a year on the sideline behind Joe Flacco before taking over as the starter in 2020.