Every time at this point of the year, fans' attention turns to the rookie quarterbacks and how they perform in the preseason. Among the rookie quarterbacks this year, Drew Lock of the Denver Broncos suited up in his second preseason game on Thursday night.
Lock already had his NFL debut when the Broncos faced the Atlanta Falcons in the annual Hall of Fame game. In that game, Lock completed seven of his 11 passing attempts for just 34 yards.
The Broncos drafted Lock in the second round of this year's draft in hopes to develop him into their future signal-caller. Understandably, Lock showed that he still needs some time to adjust to the speed of the NFL.
On Thursday, Lock took to the field again against the Seattle Seahawks in Denver's second exhibition game. This time around, Lock fared better than he did against the Falcons in the Hall of Fame game. What should we make of Lock's performance in the Broncos second preseason game?
Against Seattle, the rookie quarterback completed 17 of his 29 attempts for 180 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Minus the turnover, the Missouri product showed why he was selected by Denver in the second round of the NFL Draft.
The rookie quarterback seemed to be more comfortable in the offense after struggling against the Falcons. Lock threw his first career touchdown to Devontae Jackson in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to help the Broncos win the game, losing 22-14.
So far, Lock looks as advertised as a rookie quarterback who still needs to make strides to put himself in position to be an NFL starter. Luckily for the Broncos, Joe Flacco will man the offense to begin the season.
There are still a few aspects of his game that need to be improved before Denver should feel comfortable starting him. One of the facets of his game that needs some work is his accuracy. Lock has had troubles with ball placement since his days at Missouri in college.
At Missouri, Lock completed just 56.9% of his passes throughout his collegiate career. In 2018, the Broncos rookie quarterback managed to complete just 62.9% of his passing attempts at Missouri. Comparatively, Lock would've ranked 57th in the NFL in completion percentage.
As Lock continues to work with the offense, the more he will get acclimated to throwing the ball to the different receivers in the offense. Therefore, his accuracy can improve as he continues to get more reps with the team.
The other glaring issue with Lock is his decision making and in sensing pressure in certain situations. For instance, against the Seahawks, there was a play where Lock received a snap in the shotgun near his own end zone.
The rookie quarterback proceeded to step back into the end zone while failing to feel the pressure in his face. As a result, Lock took an unnecessary sack that gave Seattle two points due to a safety. In those situations, he has to realize the position he's in, knowing he can't take a sack.
Additionally, the young quarterback also threw an errant interception near the end of the game. The Broncos had the ball with nearly two minutes remaining in the game with the score being 22-14. The second-round pick had a chance to lead his first comeback in the NFL but a costly interception put a dagger in the game.
On the play, Lock was hit while throwing the ball and the ball floated into Jamar Taylor's arms. Regardless of the hit, Lock was forcing the ball into a crowded area with two defenders. Those are the throws that Lock will need to avoid as he continues his development.
The Broncos young signal-caller showed some improvements in his second preseason but there's still much to learn.
Drew Lock will get his third go-around when Denver takes on the San Francisco 49ers in their next preseason contest.
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