Denver Broncos: Lamar Jackson an option in top five of 2018 NFL Draft

The Denver Broncos need a difference-maker on offense, and there may be no one better suited to do that than Lamar Jackson of Louisville…

The Denver Broncos just fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, who has now been fired by two AFC West clubs in 2017. Their offense ranks near the bottom in almost every major passing category, and clearly a change at the quarterback position is on the way.

What will John Elway do?

Right now, the Broncos are projected to have a top five pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Elway fall in love with Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, who has now had two consecutive seasons of unbelievable production at Louisville.

Now, college production does not always translate to the professional level. We all know that to be true and have seen it far more often than not. That being said, there’s something special about Jackson and he might be the front-runner for the Broncos if they are picking in the top five of the draft.

Jackson’s resumé statistically speaks for itself. He has been one of the most insanely productive players as both a runner and passer in all of college football, showing off his ridiculous arm strength, speed, and quickness on a weekly basis.

Where Jackson has improved over the past year, however, is in the more detailed areas of being a pocket passer. Jackson isn’t the type of guy to take off and run at the first sign of trouble. That is a trait that has gotten many quarterbacks who are gifted runners in trouble before.

If your tendency is to run when the pressure gets to you initially, or you are forced out of the pocket, that’s where you tend to get hurt more easily because, obviously, you’re taking a lot of hits.

Jackson takes plenty of hits due to the nature of Louisville’s offense and the fact that he runs the ball by design quite frequently, but as a pocket passer, this guy is developing at a rapid rate.

Jackson does a good job of keeping his base as a quarterback when pressured, and obviously is able to escape the pocket when needed and make throws on the run.

What the Broncos’ offense needs is a player who can not only win from the pocket, but perhaps as they continue to build their offense up front on the line as well as re-tool the skill positions, Jackson’s ability as a dual-threat can help them get back into contention quicker than other quarterbacks.

My opinions on this year’s quarterback class are well documented on this site, and while I wouldn’t say my affinity for these guys has become a ‘flavor of the week’ I do think there are many legitimate options for teams in this year’s draft to be QB1.

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Each of these guys — Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield — has flaws, but for the most part, I think all of those guys have the ability to eventually be stud quarterbacks in the NFL and Jackson’s playmaking ability would indicate to me that he has a chance to help a team be successful very quickly.

The same is true, I believe, of Baker Mayfield.

Rosen and Darnold are guys that are working through making some mistakes with the ball as far as turnovers go, but they have perhaps the highest ceiling in terms of the more traditional style of quarterback.

Jackson and Mayfield bring a different dynamic to the table, and as excellent as Mayfield has been I think Jackson has an even higher ceiling, but potentially a lower floor depending on how risky you consider him to be from an injury standpoint.

From an on-field standpoint, however, there’s no one in this draft class that can do the things Jackson can do physically. If you bet on him putting it all together at the next level, he’d probably have to be considered the favorite to be the number one overall pick.

The Broncos won’t get the top overall pick, but the could target this player and do what it takes to get to him.

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