The Broncos traded up on Thursday to select Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, and general manager John Elway confirmed that the pick ended their pursuit of Kaepernick.
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While the draft experts fail to agree on what jersey Lynch will don in the National Football League next season, the consensus is that he remains the third quarterback in virtually every mock draft behind California’s Jared Goff and South Dakota State’s Carson Wentz. The 49ers indeed pursued Manning, who instead chose the Denver Broncos and eventually led them to two Super Bowls before retiring after winning the Lombardi Trophy this year at Levi’s Stadium.
With the selection of Lynch, it’s easy to speculate that the Broncos are no longer interested in acquiring Colin Kaepernick from the 49ers, nor will they be entertaining a trade for Sam Bradford, either.
Lynch’s 6-foot-7, 244-pound frame would fit the 49ers’ philosophy to field the biggest players possible. But if Lynch is able to grasp the pro formula fast enough, he may just get to be the one calling who’s taking snaps during the opening week of the regular season. He’s looking for more than a one or two-year deal with some solid money attached to it. That would likely mean Lynch sits on the bench for a couple of years and wastes most of his rookie contract backing up Fitzpatrick.
“I am pumped”, Sanchez said. The Cowboys wanted Lynch, with whom they had a private workout in Orlando, Florida, and had him in for a pre-draft visit at Valley Ranch.
“It was a little tough to see the Broncos at first because of the snow”, the Broncos new quarterback said. “[Paxton] has shown the ability to do everything that we need him to do, so I think we can make up a lot of ground very quickly in how he plays and what I saw him do throughout his college time”.
Deltona Trinity Christian graduate Paxton Lynch is a Denver Bronco. Still, several of the players picked will have a major impact on the way we handicap the teams further down the road. “Even though Mark (Sanchez) is a veteran player, he’s new in our system”, head coach Gary Kubiak said late Thursday night, via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post.
Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke have maintained since February that they want Kaepernick to compete in Kelly’s up-tempo system.
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“It was our feeling that the Jets were not going to take him, from the information that we had”, Elway said.
