After the NFL Draft, Broncos general manager John Elway said quarterback Joe Flacco, who is 34 years old, was just coming into his prime heading into the 2019 season.
That feeling allowed him to pass on selecting a quarterback in the first round. However, when Missouri's Drew Lock — Elways's top-ranked player at the position — somehow fell to the middle of the second round, he presented a chance Elway couldn't pass on again.
Elway told Mike Klis of KUSA that he couldn’t pass up “great value” at that point in the draft and suggested that he’s learned from past experiences that you want to be ahead of the curve on having a young quarterback ready to replace a veteran starter.
“You’re always trying to find an answer to the quarterback position,” Elway said. “You can’t wait till you don’t have one. We’ve been working on it and you’re always working on it. We feel good about what we have in Drew and his ability over the next couple years to continue to grow and make some strides. Hopefully, he’s that guy for the future.”
The last time the Broncos replaced a veteran quarterback was in 2016 when Peyton Manning retired and the team drafted Paxton Lynch in the first round. Lynch busted and the team has since gone three years without a playoff berth while fielding players such as Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Case Keenum at the position. Elway hopes Lock's selection will stop that carousel from spinning.
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