Washington quarterback Michael Penix speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 1, 2024. INDIANAPOLIS — Michael Penix Jr. walked into the Denver Broncos’ suite at Lucas Oil Stadium and was greeted with some of his worst work as a college quarterback.Not that every other interview is all sunshine and rainbows, but Penix called his meeting with the Broncos “different.
Indeed, the Broncos and every other NFL team are trying to learn everything they can about the prospects at the combine, quarterbacks or otherwise. On a quarterback, the final report can literally mean the difference between staying stuck in purgatory and being set for perhaps a decade-plus. “But it’s that other element and it’s really the difference of just that . For some guys it’s two thumb ticks and for others it’s one. And you hope it’s one.”
Quarterbacks of all shapes, sizes and varieties can win in the NFL. But only if they process information well, orchestrate efficiently and learn fast. “I mean, it’s darn near impossible ,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on the eve of the combine. “You do your best to try and figure it out and you try and watch guys and you try and see and follow their eyes and how they’re getting from one to two to three and how quickly they’re doing that. Without knowing how they’re coached and what the scheme calls for them to do, it still makes it a little bit difficult.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 1, 2024. That’s a steep price, but if Payton and Denver have conviction that the reward is a franchise-altering player, it can’t be ruled out. Much of the next several weeks will be about whether Denver sees the top trio similarly to the consensus opinions and whether another guy rises up to the top 10. Some think McCarthy already has. There are plenty of teams that need quarterbacks, and any of them could feel the itch to move up to make sure they get the one they want.The only categorical about the Broncos’ position currently is that they need a quarterback.