Good morning, Broncos Country!

As the first week excitement of free agency wanes and interest returns to draft prospects, a new choice at quarterback for the Broncos has emerged - Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins.

The sophomore with one season starting experience has been a top NFL prospect all year, but the fact that the Broncos are bringing in the Big Ten QB for a pre-draft visit following his highly touted Pro Day earlier this week says that Haskins has likely moved up on the Broncos’ draft board.

The redshirt freshman won the starting job last season at Ohio State and was dominant all year. He threw five touchdowns against Oregon State in their opener and also led the Buckeyes to a perfect start with 28 touchdowns with just four interceptions during the first half of the season. Haskins was particularly noteworthy against Michigan, Northwestern in the conference championship and Washington in the Rose Bowl - throwing 14 touchdowns with just one interception across the three games.

On the year, Haskins completed 373 of 553 passes for 50 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.

Everything is conjecture at this point, but it is clear after John Elway’s 2019 free agent pick-ups - Joe Flacco, Ja’wuan James, Kareem Jackson and Bryce Callahan - that quarterback is very much still in play for the Broncos’ pick at No. 10 in the first round.

Although Flacco is the unequivocal starter for 2019, the veteran QB gives Elway some insurance in case a drafted quarterback needs more than a year to develop into a starter - making the various raw options at QB this draft still a possibility for the Broncos.

“The two things that I value the most in a quarterback are toughness and their ability to process with their mind. And you have to evaluate that.” - Rich Scangarello

Drew Lock has been the college quarterback most associated with Elway and the Broncos for a QB draft pick, but an interesting Twitter thread yesterday caught my attention and made the idea of Haskins to Denver interesting.

We know from Elway’s hiring of Rich Scangarello that the new offensive coordinator likes a quarterback with some grit but also some smarts:

“The two things that I value the most in a quarterback are toughness and their ability to process with their mind,” Scangarello told Broncos TV back in January. “And you have to evaluate that. There are certain ways you have to evaluate those things and it’s getting tougher and tougher to do because the college football game has gone away from our game. I think that my experiences of recruiting high school kids, the things you had to do to see if that one scholarship you had to offer was worthy of them, has really put me ahead in this league.”

So a tweet by Andrew Mason yesterday regarding Haskins’ football IQ caught my eye:

“The football IQ is tremendous with Haskins,” Mason said. “And while I don’t want to put too much on an interview, when we talked with him during Super Bowl Week, I know Ryan Edwards [radio co-host] and I both came away thinking that Haskins just ‘gets it.’”

So I asked Mason via Twitter if Haskins would be a good fit for the Broncos?

The Broncos still have a lot of due diligence on all the players they may be interested in - including a visit with Lock - but there’s a good chance Dwayne Haskins is in the mix.

He’s one of those guys where, if he fell toward 10, I’d tear up my draft plan and pounce. The Broncos expect to be better in ‘19 & beyond, and the price of moving up for a QB of the long-term future will increase as the team improves & draft position declines. — Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 20, 2019

Horse Tracks - docllv’s picks of the day

‘I don’t like to lose’: John Elway draws lessons from his most successful offseason five years ago – The Athletic

John Elway has said he takes the most pride in how he built the Broncos' defense. Is he out to build another elite group under Vic Fangio?

Paul Klee: Denver Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco: 'Sorry' for the Mile High Mistake (kinda, sorta) | Sports Coverage | gazette.com

The Joe Flacco Era is a go, believe it or not, and the last thing anyone here needs — you, me, the Broncos, Joe Cool himself — is to hold

Horse Tracks

10 draft strategies that would maximize Broncos' odds in 2019

Studying the past nine draft classes can reveal many harsh lessons that John Elway could benefit from.

ESPN is pressing Peyton Manning to join "Monday Night Football," report says

ESPN apparently isn't surrendering hope of putting Peyton Manning in the booth for "Monday Night Football" games this season.

The Players That Made Me: Joe Flacco recalls his favorite players from his youth

In his own words, Joe Flacco describes how his love for football was shaped by the likes of Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Randy Moss and other NFL legends when he was a kid.

Broncos' struggles at quarterback have mirrored OL issues - Denver Broncos- ESPN

Long-running QB struggles and changes have coincided with line problems. Denver spent big on Ja'Wuan James in another effort to fix the line.

Haskins to meet with Broncos, Raiders, 'Phins, 'Skins - NFL.com

Dwayne Haskins' pro day Wednesday at Ohio State was a success. After meeting with the Giants on Tuesday, he's set to meet with the Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins and Redskins.

Jets signing backup QB Trevor Siemian to 1-year deal - NFL.com

The Jets have agreed to terms with former Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian on a one-year, $2 million deal, a source told Ian Rapoport. Siemian can earn up to $3 million with incentives.

Notre Dame punter records 30 reps in bench press - NFL.com

In the market for a punter with a big leg and a big chest? Try South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame punter Tyler Newsome did 30 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press on Wednesday.

‘I don’t like to lose’: John Elway draws lessons from his most successful offseason five years ago – The Athletic

John Elway has said he takes the most pride in how he built the Broncos' defense. Is he out to build another elite group under Vic Fangio?

Paul Klee: Denver Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco: 'Sorry' for the Mile High Mistake (kinda, sorta) | Sports Coverage | gazette.com

The Joe Flacco Era is a go, believe it or not, and the last thing anyone here needs — you, me, the Broncos, Joe Cool himself — is to hold