The Denver Broncos traded up in the 2016 NFL Draft on Thursday night, striking a deal with the Seattle Seahawks to go from No. 31 to No. 26 and select Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch.
The defending Super Bowl champion Broncos lost their top two quarterbacks over the offseason when Peyton Manning retired and Brock Osweiler signed with the Houston Texans as a free agent.
Lynch might be one year away from being a legit starting quarterback at the NFL level, but there’s no denying his physical talent and high character. The Broncos certainly have plenty of quality weapons on offense, too, led by wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
Lynch completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 3,776 yards and 28 touchdowns with four interceptions for Memphis last season. He was the third quarterback taken in Round 1 — Jared Goff went No. 1 to the Los Angeles Rams and Carson Wentz went No. 2 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
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