Broncos Predicted to Trade-Up for Championship QB on Draft Day

The Denver Broncos would solve their quarterback problem if NFL.com is right.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein has released his mock draft 2.0, forecasting a Denver Broncos trade with the Chicago Bears to move up the board. Zierlein predicts the Broncos will jump three spots to the No. 9 overall position to land Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

It goes without saying that such a trade-up would come at a hefty cost for the asset-strapped Broncos.

With Russell Wilson on his way out, the Broncos dive head-first back into the quarterback market by moving up a few spots and grabbing a young signal-caller with plenty of upside for Sean Payton to mold.

McCarthy's stock has risen rapidly since the NFL Combine, and that will have undoubtedly lit a fire under head coach Sean Payton to go get his man, if, indeed, the Wolverines' championship QB is that guy. At the Combine, the Broncos opted to meet with McCarthy straight off the bat. 

It was understandable that Denver would want an up-close look at the 21-year-old's brimming confidence. After all, McCarthy has a National Championship on his resume.

"You know, like, stats for me aren't really the big thing, and all I really cared about was being the best teammate I could be and being the best quarterback I could possibly be," McCarthy said via ESPN at the Combine. "And the only stat I cared about was W's, and we did pretty good in the category."

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McCarthy's 27-1 record as a starter at Ann Arbor rolls off the tongue easily. Before he began rocketing up many draft boards, the potential knock on his resume was that his body of work was too thin, but that notion is fading fast.

Cleaning house has been the order of the day at Broncos HQ over the last couple of weeks. In truth, it was long overdue. 

Confirming the Broncos' gaping hole at quarterback has given way to no small measure of relief, which has been refreshing and cathartic for fans. Prior to the combine, Payton admitted he was looking to fall in love with a QB, so we can only assume the trail of breadcrumbs will lead to the NFL draft in April.

While orchestrating the offense for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, McCarthy was well-versed in doing the right things when asked and making the requisite plays when the chips were down. With the draft evaluation process well underway, McCarthy's acumen for doing and saying the right things also seems to extend to self-scouting.

"Tough, gritty guy who only cares about winning at the end of the day," McCarthy said of himself. " Loves the game of football with a burning passion, loves his teammates, pretty much everything you want in a starting quarterback."

With those words perhaps ringing in his ears, Payton is fully embracing the youth movement in Denver, orchestrating a painful rebuild. Adding a confident young quarterback is crucial to realizing a rebuild. 

Landing the right QB will, hopefully, allow Broncos Country to turn the page on the short-lived Wilson era. 

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