Mile High Monday: QB news of all kinds, as the 2021 NFL Draft approaches

The Denver Broncos have finished up their big board of prospects. With the 2021 NFL Draft less than two weeks away, it’s now time for the Broncos to run through various mock draft scenarios in order to help predict what could go down on the first night of the draft.

I like when all the work is done in terms of scouting and board building. Now, the fun part of predicting what will happen – in one of the most unpredictable events on the sports calendar – is next.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Misunderstood

The draft lacks intrigue at the top because everyone knows that Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is going to be the No. 1 overall pick. Ever since he was a freshman in college, Lawrence has been seen as a player who would be the top pick in the draft. Maybe that’s why Lawrence was getting picked apart for recent quotes he gave in a Sports Illustrated article.

In the article, Lawrence explained why he doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder.

Lawrence told Sports Illustraded, “It’s hard to explain that because I want people to know that I’m passionate about what I do and it’s really important to me, but… I don’t have this huge chip on my shoulder, that everyone’s out to get me and I’m trying to prove everybody wrong,” he says. “I just don’t have that. I can’t manufacture that. I don’t want to.

“And I think people mistake that for being a competitor,” the quarterback continued. “I think that’s unhealthy to a certain extent, just always thinking that you’ve got to prove somebody wrong, you’ve got to do more, you’ve got to be better.”

The faux outrage crowd on social media, primarily Twitter, decided that this young man could not have an opinion that is different from what they want. Useful idiots started tweeting things about Lawrence’s work ethic and whether or not he really loves football. Instead of reading the full quote, or having the intelligence to realize what Lawrence said and where he comes from, these dolts immediately tried to tear him down.

Trevor Lawrence on football, faith, his marriage and being the quarterback who doesn't have a chip on his shoulder.@Rosenberg_Mike profiles the presumed No. 1 pick of the NFL draft https://t.co/OzQzoe5uIn

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 14, 2021

These morons and their “jump to conclusion” mats caused Lawrence to jump on his Twitter account and tweet his clear feelings. It’s sad that he had to clarify himself on Twitter after this article was released. Anyone who knows anything about Lawrence knows that he’s self-motivated and driven to succeed.

I’m not a Jaguars fan, but I’ll be rooting for Lawrence from a distance – for many reasons, but partly because I want him to prove people wrong.

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Ruffling Feathers

I’m not in the business of breaking news, and I think the “first by” crowd who does (which NOBODY cares about except media members) gets to be a bit much. So, it was interesting when last week I finalized digging on some information I first got a whiff of back in February. Through my league sources, I was able to confirm that the Jets were offered the 49ers No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for quarterback Sam Darnold.

At the time of the offer, the Jets (who sit at the No. 2 spot) had concerns about BYU quarterback Zach Wilson’s shoulder and wanted to see him at his pro day before moving on from Darnold. They passed on the trade offer, forcing the 49ers to make a different move. The move they did make was with the Dolphins and they made a huge transaction to move from No. 12 to the No. 3 overall pick.

The Jets now feel super confident about Wilson’s shoulder and he’s a virtual lock to be the second-overall pick. The 49ers now will have their choice of guys like Justin Fields (Ohio State) or Trey Lance (North Dakota State) with the third pick. The trade went down, but getting confirmation from multiple sources on the would-be trade of Darnold to the 49ers had me thinking about what might have been.

Ah, what might have been. League sources tell me #Jets turned down #49ers first-round pick for Sam Darnold earlier this offseason. Joe Douglas & co. had concerns about Zach Wilson's shoulder & wanted to see his pro day. Now, super confident & will likely be no2 pick #NFLDraft

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 14, 2021

After the tweet was sent, the internet responded accordingly. People who cheer for the Jets were dismayed because they lost out on a first-round pick this year for Darnold. He did get moved, to the Panthers, but it was for a sixth-round pick (2021), second-round pick (2022) and fourth-round pick (2022). Other Jets fans said the report was not true and called me every name under the sun. The tweet even made it onto the “Pat McAfee Show,” where he said I was a nice guy, but this report seemed outlandish. Needless to say, the report ruffled some feathers out there.

Jets fans don’t bother me. McAfee talking about my report and putting me on blast doesn’t bother me. I’m a big boy, I have broad shoulders and I stand by my well-placed sources. Jets fans who hated on me failed to realize that Ian Rapoport from NFL Network has previously said that the 49ers were involved in trade talks for Darnold – but he didn’t reveal that No. 12 was in the mix to get the deal done.

While I’m not into breaking news, I do come across a lot of interesting notes from people who work for teams. I don’t talk much to agents because they will tell you the sky is pink if you will talk nicely about their client. I do talk to scouts, executives and coaches across the league. When I find trustworthy information I can run with, I will. This is not the first time a tweet of mine has been met with backlash, and it won’t be the last.

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Changing Times

The NFL is a different game than it used to be. Quarterbacks in today’s NFL are mobile and dangerous with their legs. In years past, these types of players have been moved to a different position since that wasn’t the “old” way of playing quarterback in the NFL.

A tweet from NFL analyst Emory Hunt, a friend of mine and one of the brightest minds in the football world, got me thinking about former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor. He came into the NFL as a quarterback in 2011 as a third-round pick. He started some games for the Oakland Raiders at quarterback, but after getting traded, signed and released, and struggling to find a spot in the NFL, we saw Pryor switch to wide receiver in 2015.

Pryor’s best season as a receiver came in 2016 with the Browns when he had 77 catches for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns. However, things didn’t last long as Pryor bounced around the league again and was out of the league in 2020.

Just a few years too early at the QB position. He’d be allowed to stay there now https://t.co/3O8dQRTtVQ

— Emory Hunt (@FBallGameplan) April 16, 2021

I wonder what Pryor would have played like had a team embraced his rushing ability. He was a third-round pick in 2011, but he might have been a first-round pick 10 years later. Pryor is built like the modern quarterback, and he could have thrived in today’s game compared to the old ways he was trying to fit in to.

It’s interesting to think of which players would’ve had different NFL careers had they played in today’s game. Who was your favorite college quarterback who had to switch positions in the “old” NFL? What do you think they would have done had they stayed at their natural position? The thought of these players and how they could have turned out differently is fascinating to me.

***

The Doctor (Octopus) is In

I really enjoyed “Spiderman 2” when it was released to theaters back in 2004. I’ve always loved the villain Doctor Octopus, and I thought actor Alfred Molina did a great job bringing him to life on the big screen.

The next Spiderman movie “No Way Home” is set to be released in December of 2021 and the plot sounds fantastic. Not only are we going to get Spidermen from past movies like Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, but we are also getting villains from older movies in this new film. The multiverse has been opened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which means we can see different versions of Peter Parker from different dimensions.

One villain in “No Way Home” is going to be Molina reprising his role as Doc Ock. As a comic book fan, this news makes me very happy and I can’t wait until it hits theaters later this year.

Alfred Molina confirms he'll return as Doc Ock in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.' His story takes place right where it left off after the 2004 ‘Spider-Man 2’ https://t.co/k3iqTCsNTb pic.twitter.com/gHqdsW27BA

— Variety (@Variety) April 16, 2021

Are you as excited about the upcoming Spiderman film as I am? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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