Dang if Darnold ain’t in mold of Elway
How much does John Elway really love the quarterbacks in this NFL draft?
Although Baker Mayfield is too sexy for his shirt, is he too short to thrive as a pro quarterback? While operating from the pocket, will Sam Darnold produce more touchdowns or interceptions? Could Josh Allen be the next Elway? And would it be cruel to call Josh Rosen a Peyton Manning wannabe?
Watch a Hall of Fame quarterback work for 35 years, and you get a good feel for his tendencies. Elway and I arrived in Denver back in 1983. This doesn’t mean I know what Elway will do with the fifth pick in the first round, but it does give me a clue.
So I had to ask Elway: After meeting the Heisman Trophy winner, how short is Mayfield?
“He’s fine,” Elway replied. “When you look at the guys that have had success that are his height and even a little bit shorter — I think Russell (Wilson) is a little bit shorter than Baker. I think what he’s done, the numbers he’s put up and the success he’s had the last three years at Oklahoma, I think he’s overcome the size issue.”
Make no mistake, Elway’s voice is the dominant one in the draft war room. But, this time around, he has added Gary Kubiak, his longtime football buddy and sounding board, to the process of evaluating these ballyhooed QB prospects.
Do Elway and Kubiak value the same traits in a quarterback?
“I haven’t actually asked that question to Gary,” Elway said. Then he volunteered a nugget of truth.
A former pro QB such as Elway or Kubiak tends to be
attracted to a younger version of himself. “If they’ve played quarterback before, I think their playing style is going to draw them to guys that are more their playstyle type,” Elway said.
So let’s use that information to break down the four ballyhooed quarterbacks in this year’s draft.
Allen: He’s a quarterback Elway used to fall for every time. Big arm. Big potential. But Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch broke Elway’s heart.
So all this big talk about Allen being the next Brett Favre? In Wyoming, they have a phrase for such silliness: All hat and no cattle. If Allen couldn’t dominate the Mountain West, it’s hard to fathom him dominating the AFC West.
Darnold: He checks so many boxes. Darnold can create magic when the play breaks down, which Elway loves. In person, Darnold is unflappable and seriousminded, traits Kubiak highly values. At age 20, Darnold also meshes perfectly with the plan to let Case Keenum be the starter for a season or two.
But here’s the rub. There’s almost zero chance Darnold will fall to the Broncos at the fifth overall pick. It goes against Elway’s nature to overpay for talent, much less pay the king’s ransom it could cost Denver to make to move up and draft Darnold.
Rosen: He can really spin the football, as the scouts like to say. But there are red flags. While at UCLA, Rosen was less than durable, and the Broncos just dealt with watching the NFL batter Trevor Siemian. Also: Does Rosen’s competitiveness burn white hot, the way it did in Elway?
If the Broncos pull the trigger on Rosen, Elway will have faked me out of my jock.
Mayf ield: What a party it would be. Mayfield is the red solo cup of QB prospects. The feisty former walk-on doesn’t just savor a challenge. He chugs it.
Mayfield brings the football acumen to a meeting room that Kubiak can appreciate, plus a swagger that made Elway famous. Scouts tend to love Mayfield or hate him. But, oddly enough, he might actually be the best compromise candidate for the Broncos, offering both Kubiak and Elway a little of what they want in a quarterback.
The Denver draft room is not a democracy. The decision on which direction the Broncos go in the first round begins and ends with Elway.
“That’s my job, right?” Elway said. Based on 35 years of watching Elway at work, here are three educated guesses on how he’s thinking about this draft:
No. 1: Darnold is the most ideal fit among the quarterbacks for Elway’s personality, but Elway’s competitive streak won’t allow him to get beat in a trade to move up the board. Is there a Plan B for drafting a QB? We all know Elway abhors settling for second best.
No. 2: The best three football players in this draft are Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson and North Carolina State edge rusher Bradley Chubb. If any of them are available when the Broncos are on the clock with the fifth overall pick, I don’t see Elway taking a quarterback. Let me add: Nelson could transform the offensive line from a glaring weakness to a team strength.
No. 3: The gambler in Elway will itch to entice a quarterback-desperate team to overpay for the fifth pick. It would give him a big toothy grin. Why? Elway could win a trade and move back in in the draft to acquire two impactful rookies for the price of one.