John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
With their final pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected a quarterback. Zac Dysert will compete and be the early favorite to win the third-string job with the Broncos. The pick raised a few eyebrows in Broncos Country, although most people knew of the Broncos interest in Dysert before the draft. So why draft a quarterback when the Broncos already drafted their future signal caller last year in Brock Osweiler?
Let’s start right there, the drafting of Dysert is not a reflection on Osweiler. In fact, John Elway and the Broncos are more excited about the future of Osweiler now than they were when they drafted him. After watching the 2013 draft and assuming Osweiler would have had a good senior season had he returned to Arizona State, there’s little doubt in my mind that he would have been the first quarterback selected, and he probably would have gone in the top 10.
The quarterback position is the most important in sports, and if you do not have one then your team is not going anywhere. While the Broncos believe firmly that Osweiler is the guy, there are no guarantees and drafting another young quarterback with upside is never a bad idea. The Broncos also only had two quarterbacks on the roster before the draft and they need at least four heading into training camp.
Onto Dysert himself, the Broncos did not draft him because they thought he would be an arm in camp and be a third-string quarterback for 10 years. They selected him because they like his ability and want him to push Osweiler. The odds say that when Peyton Manning hangs it up that Osweiler will be the guy, but if Dysert impresses then who knows. Remember a guy named Tom Brady? He was also drafted to be a backup and we all know how that turned out.
Dysert is raw but he has all the tools that personnel executives look for in an NFL quarterback. He has the size, the arm and is accurate. The key for Dysert was landing with a team that would be able to help him develop those skills; can you think of a better spot?
He is going to be in the same meeting room and on the same practice field with Manning for the next two to three years. In addition, Dysert has a Hall of Fame quarterback sitting upstairs and there’s no question that John Elway will be an invaluable resource for the young quarterback.
Dysert was reportedly a little disappointed about not being selected until the seventh-round, but if he stops to think about then he’s going to realize that he is in the perfect situation. Dysert has the tools and now he is in an environment that will help him develop those tools.
They say success happens when hard work meets opportunity, the Broncos have given Dysert the opportunity and now the hard work is up to him.
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