NFL.com expects the Broncos to trade-up for J.J. McCarthy

If NFL.com is correct, the Denver Broncos will have solved their quarterback problem.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has released his mock draft 2.0, which predicts that the Denver Broncos will trade with the Chicago Bears to climb up the draft board. According to Zierlein, the Broncos will move up three spots to No. 9 overall to sign Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

It goes without saying that such a trade-up would be prohibitively expensive for the Broncos, who are currently short on assets.

With Russell Wilson on his way out, the Broncos dive head-first back into the quarterback market by moving up a few spots and grabbing a young signal-caller with plenty of upside for Sean Payton to mold.

McCarthy’s value has skyrocketed since the NFL Combine, and it will likely fuel head coach Sean Payton’s desire to grab his man, assuming the Wolverines’ championship quarterback is that guy. At the Combine, the Broncos decided to meet with McCarthy right away.

It was logical that Denver would want a close look at the 21-year-old’s brash confidence. After all, McCarthy has a National Championship to his credit.

“You know, like, stats for me aren’t really the big thing, and all I really cared about was being the best teammate I could be and being the best quarterback I could possibly be,” McCarthy said in an interview with ESPN at the Combine. “And the only stat I cared about was W’s, and we did pretty good in the category.”

McCarthy’s 27-1 record as an Ann Arbor starter is easy to remember. Before he began rocketing up many draft boards, the potential drawback to his resume was that his body of work was too thin, but that perception is quickly evaporating.

Cleaning house has been the order of the day at Broncos headquarters over the last few weeks. In reality, it was long overdue.

Confirming the Broncos’ massive quarterback hole has provided fans with much-needed relief, which has been both refreshing and uplifting. Prior to the combine, Payton stated that he wanted to fall in love with a quarterback, so we can only assume the trail of breadcrumbs will lead to the NFL draft in April.

McCarthy was an expert at doing the right thing when asked and making the necessary plays when the chips were down while coordinating Jim Harbaugh’s offense at Michigan. With the draft evaluation process well underway, McCarthy’s ability to do and say the right things appears to extend to self-scouting.

“Tough, gritty guy who only cares about winning at the end of the day,” McCarthy said of himself. “Loves the game of football with a burning passion, loves his teammates, pretty much everything you want in a starting quarterback.”

With those remarks echoing in his ears, Payton is totally embracing Denver’s youth movement and arranging a difficult reconstruction. Adding a confident young quarterback is critical to completing the reconstruction.

Landing the right quarterback will hopefully help Broncos Country to move on from the short-lived Wilson era.