Broncos need help pressuring QB, new mock has them taking edge

The Denver Broncos are a popular spot for mock drafts to take quarterbacks.

And while ESPN did that on Monday morning, The Athletic is going a different direction.

In a mock draft that dropped last week, Diante Lee has Denver getting help pressuring the QB. Specifically with an edge in the form of Florida State’s Jared Verse. Verse had nine sacks for the Seminoles each of the last two seasons, and more than 40 tackles in both campaigns. He recovered two fumbles and forced one as well, and in 2023 he defended three passes.

“Verse is in the conversation to be the draft’s top edge (and would have gone earlier had we included trades here),” Lee wrote in his mock draft. “Verse had a 20-percent pressure rate in 2023, converting speed to power in a fashion reminiscent of Will Anderson Jr. He’s not a natural hip bender… but his hands are good, and his motor makes him a sack threat on second efforts or counter moves. There’s still room to add weight to his frame without hurting his explosiveness.”

Comparing Verse to Anderson is high-praise. The Texans rookie had seven sacks in his first year in the NFL and helped launch Houston from doormat back into the playoffs. You can bet any team would be happy to add the next Anderson in this year’s draft.

But the Broncos (and their fans) are so desperate for a quarterback, that any selection that isn’t a QB at No. 12 might have folks across the Mile High City scratching their heads.

Who are the Broncos taking at No. 12? Get all the latest mock drafts here!

What makes this mock particularly interesting is Lee has QB Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington going No. 13 to the Raiders. If he turns into a great player, that would sting, just like Josh Allen killing it in Buffalo does.

We’ve seen both Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Oregon’s Bo Nix linked to Denver, something that would excite Broncos Country. It’s not to say Verse won’t one day be a great player, but he’s also not a solution at the most important position in sports.

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