ENGLEWOOD Womens Noah Fant Jersey , Colo. (AP)Not even the signing of free agent Case Keenum could keep the Broncos from staging yet another quarterback competition this offseason.This time it’s a battle for the backup job.After bypassing a quarterback in a draft that was deep on passing prospects, general manager John Elway declared that Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly would duke it out for the No. 2 job.That served as a vote of confidence in Lynch, his 2016 first-round pick who hasn’t been able to win the starting job, and a golden opportunity for Kelly, ”Mr. Irrelevant” in 2017 as the last player picked in the draft.”With Paxton, we still think he is young. We are not kicking him to the curb. He can still develop. When we drafted him two years ago, we knew it was going to take some time,” Elway said. ”Paxton is going to compete with Chad for that backup spot. We are not going to bring another one in for OTAs.”That marked the first time Elway had publicly mentioned Kelly as having a chance to win a roster spot a year after missing his entire rookie season while recovering from wrist and knee surgeries.”I thought of it as, OK, perfect, I can get more reps,” Kelly said Saturday after serving as the only quarterback during a 90-minute walkthrough that capped the Broncos’ three-day rookie orientation. ”I just look at it as another opportunity to get better each and every day and each and every rep.”Kelly’s offseason work habits have resulted in a reshaped body.Kelly said ”eating a lot of spinach and chicken paid off instead of fried food. … I came here and knew I needed to move around and get back to my old playing weight back in early college and high school. So, I’m kind of feeling I can move around and so some things with my legs but also be powerful in throwing the ball.”Kelly has impressed both on and off the field.”Well, I’ve been proud of Chad overall,” coach Vance Joseph said. ”I mean, he’s been here every day. He’s worked his butt off. And he’s changed his body. Last year he was a little tubby kid. He is really lean now. He’s eating right. He’s working hard. He’s definitely put the work in.”And he’s throwing the ball really well right now.”So much so that bare hands are a bad idea for receivers, suggested tight end Jake Butt.”He can rip that thing now,” said Butt, who also sat out his rookie season. ”You’ve definitely got to wear gloves. He’ll be spinning that bad boy pretty tough. He’s learning the offense, he’s taking leadership, he’s doing a great job.”Joseph insisted Lynch was handling himself fine, too.In March, the Broncos declared Keenum the starter as soon as he signed. In April, they said Lynch would have to beat out Kelly for the backup job.”I think Paxton’s done a good job, also,” Joseph said. ”I think for Paxton and for our football team, it’s been a weight off all of our backs to have a starting quarterback and have everyone’s role defined from Day 1.”He said that allows Lynch to ”relax and get better each day and not worry about a competition.”Joseph suggested Lynch could learn how to handle adversity from Keenum.”Case has been through some ups and downs throughout his career. So, he can learn from Case on how to handle those things,” Joseph said. ”And it takes time to be an NFL quarterback. And you would hope with Case being here, he can sit back and relax and get better as a quarterback and not worry about being the guy right now and just compete to be our backup.”— This probably won’t go well." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteMile High Reporta Denver Broncos communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBroncosOddsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Broncos NewsBroncos 2019 Draft ClassBroncos PodcastsBroncos 2019 ScheduleKey Offseason DatesCommunity RulesFull ArchiveBroncos StoriesScheduleRosterStatsOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Filed under:Denver Broncos Mock DraftsDenver Broncos 2019 DraftMock draft: Predicting the first-round of the 2019 NFL DraftNew,39commentsThis probably won’t go well. Mock draft: Predicting the first-round of the 2019 NFL DraftPhoto by Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesHappy Draft day Mile High Report! The first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft kicks off later tonight and months of questions surrounding the draft will finally get answers. In this piece, I will give you my one and only mock draft. This appears it is going to be one of the more unpredictable first-rounds in awhile, so this will likely not go well for me. I’ll predict a few trades, but will not go overboard here. I’ll have a second round through seventh round mock draft for the Broncos dropping Friday morning! So without further ado, here is my one and only 2019 NFL Mock Draft,1: Arizona Cardinals - Quarterback, Kyler MurrayThis pick has been speculated and discussed for months and finally becomes official. Kyler Murray is a Cardinal and Josh Rosen is on his way to getting traded out of town.Murray is a good fit for Kliff’s offensive system and he will be the week one starter for the Cardinals.2: San Francisco 49ers - EDGE, Nick BosaAnother pick that has been known for months is Nick Bosa to the 49ers. If the Cardinals take Murray, Bosa would fall right into the Niners lap and that is exactly what happened.Bosa will join recently acquired Dee Ford as the teams two starting edge rushers giving them a pretty talented front seven. TRADE ALERT - Washington trades up from 15th overall to 3rd overall3- Washington via the New York Jets - Quarterback, Dwayne Haskins Boom!Daniel Snyder does Daniel Snyder things here an sells the farm to the New York Jets to make sure he can get his quarterback. The Jets would love to trade back and they find a more than willing partner here with Washington.Alex Smith is out for the year and Case Keenum/Colt McCoy just aren’t cutting it, so they get the top quarterback in the draft in an expensive trade up.4. Oakland Raiders - Defensive Tackle, Quinnen WilliamsThe Raiders probably wanted Haskins here, but end up getting the best player in the entire draft. Not a terrible plan B.Williams will pair with Maurice Hurst and gives the Raiders one tough interior pass rush to build around.5: Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Linebacker, Devin WhiteThis pick has been known for weeks and it finally becomes official. The Bucs lost Kwon Alexander during free agency and get his replacement here with White.6: New York Giants - EDGE, Josh AllenWith the Jets trading back, Josh Allen falls to the other New York team. Giants need a ton of help everywhere, and Allen will give a boost to their pass rushing unit.7: Jacksonville Jaguars - Offensive Tackle, Andre DillardWith Nick Foles now at quarterback, protecting him should be their top priority and thats what they do here with Dillard.He’s the best pure pass blocker in the draft and with Foles being a pocket quarterback, you’ll need someone to keep his blind-side clean and Dillard will do just that.TRADE ALERT - Atlanta trades up from 14th overall to 8th overall with the Detroit Lions8: Atlanta Falcons via Detroit Lions - Defensive Tackle, Ed OliverThe Falcons love Oliver and they make sure they get their man here by trading up with the Lions. His interior pass rush will greatly upgrade their defense.9: Buffalo Bills - Offensive Tackle. Jonah WilliamsBills need to protect Quarterback Josh Allen so he isn’t running for his life every snap, so they get Jonah Williams here. He’s the most well-rounded tackle in the draft and will step in as a day one starter at tackle or guard for the Bills10: Denver Broncos - Linebacker Womens Dre'Mont Jones Jersey , Devin BushNow for the pick you all clicked this thing for. The Broncos could go a number of ways hereand it isn’t easy to narrow those scenarios down. They could always go Drew Lock but those rumors kinda died down, but he’s likely still in play. A tight end like T.J. Hockenson is likely someone high on their board and likely in play here. I also wouldn’t rule out a trade back with say someone like Houston who wants to jump up to get a tackle. In the end, I have them going with Bush which seems like the likely outcome as I am typing this up at 2:00 A.M. Bush gives Head Coach Vic Fangio the inside linebacker he desires in his defense and someone who can do it all. He is excellent in space, a nose for the ball, plays with his hair on fire, a violent tackle, solid in coverage, and just the linebacker the Broncos have been lacking for a few years now. 11: Cincinnati Bengals - Quarterback, Drew LockNewly hired Head Coach Zac Taylor gets his quarterback to develop here in Drew Lock. Incumbent Andy Dalton is in the final year of his deal and an extension doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for him right now, so they draft his replacement in Lock. 12: Green Bay Packers - Tight End, T.J. HockensonThe tight end is a position that really hasn’t stood out in the Green Bay offense in recent history, but that changes here. Hockenson is a stud who will impact the running game with his blocking and give Rodgers a big target to work with in the passing game13: Miami Dolphins - Offensive Tackle, Jawaan TaylorOur Broncos signed the Miami Dolphins former starting right tackle in free agency, so they find his replacement here in Taylor. With them going after a quarterback in 2020, building up that offensive line before that should be a priority for the Dolphins.14: Detroit Lions via Atlanta Falcons- EDGE, Montez SweatThe Lions are in the market for a pass rusher and get a top 10 talent in Sweat who feel just a bit because of a potential health concern. If his medicals come clean, he will be an excellent addition to the Lions pass 15: New York Jets via Washington - EDGE Brian BurnsJets find a trade partner and are still able to get themselves an edge rusher for their defense. Burns is probably the best pure pass rusher in the draft and would be an excellent addition to their defense.16: Carolina Panthers - Guard, Chris LindstromThe Panthers need to protect Cam Newton while also getting someone who can move people in the running game. That is exactly what Chris Lindstrom can do and someone who will come in and start day one for the Panthers.17: New York Giants - Quarterback, Daniel JonesThis won’t be a popular pick in the Big Apple. The Giants get their heir apparent to Eli Manning here in former Duke quarterback, Daniel Jones.18: Minnesota Vikings - Center, Garrett BradburyWith Gary Kubiak joining the Vikings offensive staff in some capacity, they will be moving to a zone-blocking scheme. Well, they need help on the inside of their line and Bradbury is an excellent fit in a zone-blocking scheme. 19: Tennessee Titans - Wide Receiver, Marquise BrownThis is a bit of a wildcard pick here, but Hollywood is getting some first-round hype here so lets roll the dice here. Brown is a pure burner and would be an excellent complement to Corey Davis and slot receiver Adam Humphries. 20: Pittsburgh Steelers - Cornerback, Rock Ya-SinRock Ya-Sin is a favorite of mine and is rumored to be the corner the Steelers covet here at 20. He’s a physical late bloomer that will join a secondary in need of some help. 21: Seattle Seahawks - Defensive End, Rashan GaryThe Seahawks need help all over their defensive line and nab the free-falling Gary here. Their pass rushers are really lacking, but Gary will quickly fix that for him. 22: Baltimore Ravens - Wide Receiver, D.K. MetcalfThe Ravens need a big deep threat for quarterback, Lamar Jackson. Metcalf is a large man who runs a 4.4 40-time. His game needs some refining, but he would be an excellent pick here for the Ravens.23: Houston Texans - Offensive Tackle, Cody FordIf the Texans want to have success, they need to keep quarterback Deshaun Watson healthy. Ford will be a giant step in the right direction. He’s a big man with light feet who can step in right away and start24: Oakland Raiders - Cornerback, Greedy WilliamsI can see Gruden losing his sh*t if Greedy is still on the board here. He’s a big and speedy man cover guy who will help a depleted Oakland secondary.25: Philadelphia Eagles - Safety, Chauncey Gardner-JohnsonThe Eagles need a bunch of help on the back end of their defense so they select the do it all safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson here to help their secondary. 26: Indianapolis Colts - Defensive Tackle, Jeffery SimmonsSimmons is a top 5 talent, but unfortunately tore his ACL preparing for the NFL Draft. He’ll sit out all of 2019, but will give the Colts an elite talent to have for 2020. An excellent addition here by the Colts.27: Oakland Raiders - Running Back, Joshua JacobsThe Raiders love for Jacobs is well documented and they will likely come out of the first-round with him on their team. They need a rusher for quarterback Derek Carr to lean on.28: Los Angeles Chargers - Wide Receiver, N’Keal HarryThe Chargers lost wide receiver Tyrell Williams to free agency and will look to replace him with N’Keal Harry. He’s another big body for quarterback Phillip Rivers to lean on. 29: Seattle Seahawks - Cornerback, Byron MurphyMurphy would be an excellent addition to the Seattle secondary. He’s a best fit in a zone system and would push for starting time in their secondary30: Green Bay Packers - ensive line needs plenty of help and Risner could play at center, guard, or even push tackle Bryan Bulaga for playing time. Aaron Rodgers has been banged up a lot lately, so protecting him should be a priority.31: Los Angeles Rams - EDGE, Clelin FerrellThe Rams pass rushing unit is upgraded, but they still need some more talent and get that by adding the former Clemson pass rusher. With a high-flying passing attack, you will need all the pass rushers you can get.32: New England Patriots - Tight End, Noah FantThis pick would just be unfair, but I couldn’t find a spot for Fant until this pick. With tight end Rob Gronkowski retiring the Patriots need to upgrade their tight end unit. Fant is an excellent pass catcher who cold quickly become a weapon for quarterback, Tom Brady.