Clayton: Broncos quarterback search takes another turn

The blockbuster trades that allowed the San Francisco 49ers to jump to the third pick in the upcoming NFL Draft didn’t help the Denver Broncos in their quarterback search.

There is a good chance three quarterbacks go in the top three. The Jacksonville Jaguars will take Trevor Lawrence with the first pick. The New York Jets will most likely take Zach Wilson with the second-overall pick and the San Francisco 49ers moved up to the third spot on Friday, putting them in a position to take Trey Lance.

The Atlanta Falcons have the fourth pick and will probably take a position player, but it’s not out of the question for the Falcons to trade down and let a team take Justin Fields or Mac Jones. The Carolina Panthers have the eighth-overall pick and would be a viable candidate to make a trade.

The Broncos aren’t expected to draft a quarterback. They could try to get Gardner Minshew or Alex Smith to compete against Drew Lock, but another name may begin to surface.

On Friday, Wilson had a great pro day and that may be enough for the Jets to take him with the second-overall pick, opening the door for a potential Sam Darnold trade.

Darnold has struggled in the past couple seasons, which could make him available for less than a first-round draft pick. He could be worth a second-round pick and potentially a mid-round choice in the 2022 draft.

The debate for the Broncos is whether they would want to have two young quarterbacks competing against each other. Lock and Darnold have not firmed up their place in the league, but Darnold has top level physical talent.

One thing also became clear on Friday — if the 49ers take a quarterback with the third-overall pick as expected, they still aren’t planning to trade Jimmy Garoppolo and want him to be their starter in 2021. Their rookie quarterback could learn behind Garoppolo and take over in 2022.

The blockbuster trades on Friday will have massive ramifications in the NFL for years and the rush for quarterbacks if officially on.