Paxton Lynch has been talked about as a quarterback needing time to bloom and develop at the NFL level.
First-round passers, though, don't sit for long. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz will play this season -- and Lynch won't be far behind.
"Is that going to happen tomorrow? Probably not, but you never know when it can happen," Broncosfootball czar John Elway told KDSP-AM on Friday, per Pro Football Talk. "We think he's going to be ready quicker than a lot of people think."
At 6-foot-7 and 246 pounds, Lynch is a fascinating prospect with prototypical size and a powerful arm. Mobile for his build, the former Memphis star would make for a tantalizing fit in coach Gary Kubiak's bootleg-heavy attack. It's no surprise he's drawn comparisons from scouts to Marcus Mariota, Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger.
"He's a young guy with tremendous athletic ability," Elway said. "He's got the strong arm, can make all the throws, he's smart, and he's a guy that can fit into this offense real well."
The argument for sitting him draws partially from the offense he ran at Memphis, where the quarterback didn't call plays in a huddle or take snaps under center. Digesting and taking command of a weighty playbook will take some time, but the idea of a redshirt campaign -- in today's NFL -- is ridiculous. Especially with Mark Sanchez penciled in as Denver's starter.
"You might hit the home run with Lynch, but because of the mental you might strike out," one scout told Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He has the best arm. It ain't even close. That big, tall son of a gun can run, too. He's a little spacy, a little different."
Said another talent-evaluator: "For a tall guy he doesn't act like (Dan) McGwire or somebody. He can get out of trouble. He can run. He can make all the throws. Accuracy is good, not great. Just give him a minute ... but Jacksonville gave (Blake) Bortles only four games."
It's a fair point, especially after the Jaguars vowed all offseason to keep Bortles on the sideline for his 2014 rookie campaign. Those promises sound pretty in May, but the rugged autumn makes mincemeat of offseason myths.
Lynch will play -- and he'll do so this season. It's just a matter of when.
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