The Jake Locker Conundrum

Calm yourself, Broncos fans. Please. Yes, Jason La Canfora tweeted earlier this afternoon that Jake Locker, the highly regarded Quarterback out of Washington will be visiting the Broncos in a private workout, and yes it is surprising. That said, before you go out and assume the worst: That John Fox will ignore the Defense in the second round and draft a Quarterback, there are some more reasonable explanations on why Locker will be visiting Denver, which you should consider, uncluding:

1. The Broncos like him: Yeah, we have bigger needs at this point, but what's wrong with the Broncos being interested in him? If they think he has the potential to be a good Quarterback, then they should talk to him. For all we know he is the next John Elway. Do I doubt it? Yes. But is it completely unreasonable? No.

2. It's a smokescreen: This may be the most obvious answer. If lots of teams are interested in him, that raises his draft stock. The Broncos happen to be in a prime position to draft him, and if the Vikings or the Titans really want him, they might be willing to trade up. The Broncos have the ability to contribute to his hype by showing interest in him. By raising his stock, that raises the Broncos second round picks' value, opening opportunities for a trade to happen.

3. The Broncos long term interests: One common misconception is that draft scouts are only there to scout players the Broncos might draft. That's not entirely true. Often times, scouts will go out and scout a player to be more prepared for them when he enters the NFL. It's best to have as much background on a player as humanly possible, and this private workout could improve their knowledge of him when he goes pro.

There are many possible techniques that I may not even be able to imagine, but the Broncos might be using. John Fox is a smart, experienced coach who I am sure has a plan. Therefore, I wouldn't get too worried just yet. That said, if you are interested in more on Jake Locker, here my scouting report for the Quarterback:

Strengths: Strong, athletic build made for an NFL QB ... Excellent arm strength ... Can throw passes into the tightest windows ... Quick release ... Has decent mechanics ... Very athletic, definitely capable of running ... Outstanding competitor.

Weaknesses: Horrible field vision, definitely needs work ... Only okay accuracy ... Doesn't have a nice touch to his throws ... Doesn't put a nice spiral on his balls ... Gets anxious in the pocket ... Often makes poor decisions.

Overview: I read the list of strengths and I go "wow! Franchise QB!" Then I read the weaknesses and go "wow! Not good!" My overview is a little bit of each. Jake Locker has all of physical attributes, all of the leadership attributes and has very good mechanics. Every imaginable intangible besides leadership needs work, though. There is no way that he can start immediately and would need to be seriously coached up. That said, he does remind me a little bit of a John Elway type of player.

For more Broncos draft commentary, follow Garrett on twitter at @BroncoMadness.