Broncos draft preview: Denver could look for late flier to fill out QB room

Editor s note First in a series of NFL draft previews as it relates to the Broncos Monday Quarterbacks Broncos in-house offseason moves Re-signed backup QB Jarrett Stidham added QB Sam Ehlinger in free agency Under contract Bo Nix three years club option Stidham two years Ehlinger one year Need scale - This time last year head coach Sean Payton s staff was facing a lot of pressure to hit on a QB of the future They made out like bandits with Nix at pick No after an initial heap of post-draft questions Now with Nix cemented heading into Year Two and steady backup Stidham returning there s little reason for Denver to look especially hard at a QB in the draft They could still look at a late-round guy or UDFA to push Ehlinger for QB Top five Cam Ward Miami Our lackadaisical king At his best behind a behemoth offensive line last year at Miami Heisman finalist Ward operated in the pocket like he d just woken up from a two-hour nap He s got aura he could be the NFL s answer to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander He s also a pretty solid quarterback who threw for touchdowns last year and has the arm talent to hit on throws of all kinds even when his feet are topsy-turvy It ll be fascinating to see how the presumptive No overall pick s style will translate to the NFL Shedeur Sanders Colorado Sanders is polarizing partly okay mostly because of the name on the back of his jersey His pro day tape from Friday set off Twitter arguments between players now in the league ESPN s Dan Orlovsky stated lately Sanders was the toughest QB he d ever evaluated since a majority of his snaps involved either dinky throws or line protection so terrible it defied logical explanation That sliver of remaining tape though shows a live-armed QB who s assured in the pocket Lightning rod or not he s almost assuredly a top-five pick Jaxson Dart Ole Miss Pretty fascinating collegiate career here Dart was a top recruit who battled for a year at USC transferred out when Lincoln Riley brought Caleb Williams with him from Oklahoma then rocketed up draft boards in three seasons playing under former USC coach Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss He s big -foot- pounds and could eventually profile as a solid NFL starter In a fairly weak QB class he has risen high into the first round in majority of draft projections Jalen Milroe Alabama There s various disagreement beyond a pretty clear top three of Ward-Sanders-Dart but Milroe has as much upside as anyone Dual-threat QBs are all the rage and Milroe ran for touchdowns last year at Alabama and can bowl people over at pounds The difficulty he threw five touchdowns against picks in SEC play There s a lot of room for development Related Articles Broncos Journal Thanks Bo Nix too for Denver s free-agent haul Renck File Any NFL mock draft that doesn t have Broncos picking running back in first round necessities to go Broncos need a late-round WR Three sleepers lie up Road at CU CU s Travis Hunter wants to play both techniques in the NFL Champ Bailey knows it won t be easy Running back or bust Broncos believe they have flexibility as NFL draft stretch run arrives Will Howard Ohio State You could throw a inadequate names here to round out a top-five from Syracuse s Kyle McCord to Texas Quinn Ewers to Louisville s Tyler Shough Let s go with Howard who might not have the mechanical quickness to become an NFL stud but at the very least will be a plus backup for however long his body lets him He stands -foot- is tough and established he can make every throw in Ohio State s run to a national championship His leadership might be his best NFL projectable More Broncos options Cam Miller North Dakota State Miller s done a visit with Denver and could catch Payton s eye as a UDFA He s got pedigree from five years at FCS power North Dakota State Riley Leonard Notre Dame If the Broncos desired to reach a little higher for another young quarterback in their room Leonard could be a good developmental guy He s got great size at -foot- and ran for yards and touchdowns last year as a dual-threat standout at Notre Dame The arm might not profile as a consistent NFL starter though Max Brosmer Minnesota Brosmer s had multiple Zoom chats with Denver QBs coach Davis Webb and could be another late-round or UDFA fit He s a smart accurate processor with a solid arm completing of his passes last year at Minnesota He just doesn t carry a ton of upside Taylor Elgersma Wilfrid Laurier Canada Hey this would just be cool Elgersma s aiming to become the first athlete to ever be drafted who hasn t played a snap for an American college He was a standout in Canada and has drawn interest from NFL teams for his size -foot- pounds and pedigree The Elgersma Bandwagon is accepting all comers Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis