NFL experts explain why the hype for Broncos quarterback Drew Lock is unjustified
Broncos quarterback Drew Lock’s 2019 rookie season could be summed up with one oft-quoted statement: It’s not how you start but how you finish.
Lock, the former Mizzou and Lee’s Summit High School quarterback, began the season on injured reserve but returned to start the final five games of the season.
Denver went 4-1 in that stretch and Lock completed 64.1% of his passes for 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions.
Lock made quite an impression, and now people are expecting big things this fall.
Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd said Lock was a “pop” guy who could lead the Broncos to the AFC West title next season. Sports Betting Dime noted Lock’s odds of winning the NFL MVP award have improved dramatically this summer. ESPN recently did a mock draft if every player had been available and Lock was taken at No. 15.
The love for Lock seems to grow daily, but some are saying it’s time to pump the brakes on the hype.
Two co-hosts on the NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” spoke about Lock last week.
“This Drew Lock hype is in the stratosphere right now, and it’s fun and it’s positive, but I mean my gosh, this guy’s played one year,” Kyle Brandt said on “Good Morning Football.” “I don’t know if he’s going to be able to play quarterback for the Broncos this year because he might be president this fall. People are hyping Drew Lock, and I think it’s a lot to do with their draft. ...
“He’s got to do a lot better. The fact is I saw him against the Chiefs at the end of last year. They didn’t belong on the same field. They didn’t. I know we give Drew Lock and the Broncos credit for winning a lot of those games at the end (of the season), but that’s slapping around the Lions and the Raiders. A win is a win, but when you compare them to the Chiefs, it’s really, really tough.”
Brandt thinks Lock’s self-assurance may have something to do with the hype. And perhaps that video of Lock singing a Jeezy song on the sideline had something to do with it.
“I know they got better and I know they got faster and Drew Lock seems to have not only the game, there seems to be something intangible with him. There seems to be a confidence, a looseness, and all of us love that. I love that, but getting the Broncos back on the right track and dethroning the MVP from two years and the Super Bowl winner is another story. He’s got to make a big, big jump ...
“To hear people talk about Drew Lock, It seems like he should be on MVP watch. I need to see more. A lot more.”
Mike Garofolo followed Brandt by noting the poor passing teams the Broncos faced when Lock started.
That ESPN redraft didn’t mean Lock is the 15th best NFL player, but the ranking meant teams would take Lock ahead of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, among others.
Pro Football Focus’ George Chahrouri joked about Lock’s spot on that list:
Pro Football Focus also tweeted this:
Former Chiefs offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, who is on SiriusXM, said the hype is out of control:
Dan Pizzuta of Sharp Football Analysis tweeted this and he also shared a play Mizzou fans don’t want to see:
And this is from Matthew Betz, a member of the Fantasy Sports Writer Association:
