Denver Broncos: Is quarterback interest real or a smokescreen?

Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones is a cerebral, tall and athletic prospect who played under former Peyton Manning coach David Cutcliffe. A three-year starter for Duke, he threw for 8,201 yards, 52 touchdowns and 29 interceptions on 764 completions.

Quick hits:

• Very good athlete for the position (ran 4.67 seconds in the 40 at his pro day)
• Often wins before the snap with good, correct reads
• An accurate thrower in the short and intermediate, but questions about his arm strength are warranted
• Supporting cast at Duke was bad

https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1110647796896579586

Why he fits:

The ability to get your team into the right play or position pre-snap is one of the most underrated abilities a quarterback can have, and was what made Manning such a special player. Jones gives you that better than any other prospect this year.

In addition to fitting well into the Broncos’ pro-style scheme, Jones’ athletic ability opens up additional offensive options for designed roll outs and bootlegs, and provides escapability for if/when the pocket breaks down.

Scangarello wants to push the ball downfield, though, which Jones can do with touch and accuracy, but is not the strongest aspect of his game. If Jones was drafted, that philosophy would need to morph into a more horizontal scheme to spread the defense out that way.

Scouting report from The Draft Network:

"A three-year starter for renown QB guru David Cutcliffe at Duke, Jones has the size, athletic ability, experience and pedigree the NFL is looking for. With that said, he doesn’t have top arm talent and lacks development in terms of anticipation, decision making and vertical passing that cautions his projection. It should be noted that Duke’s offensive line was poor, as were his receivers which certainly limited Jones to an extent. I don’t see a high level NFL starter in Jones, but he has low level starter upside with more development."

So, what do you all think? Should the Broncos take a quarterback in the first round, or shoot for another defensive playmaker? More importantly, what do you think they will do?