Denver Broncos Not Taking It Slow with Rookie QB Paxton Lynch

The Denver Broncos kicked off their rookie minicamp Friday, and it extended into the weekend as the team got its first look at the 2016 draft class.

It’s a time for new players to gain valuable experience as they begin their pro careers. It’s also a time when coaches get to see what the draft class looks like in a pro practice, and it begins a period in which the team is forecasting what a young player can do.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak knows how important rookie minicamp is to the offseason program.

“It’s extremely important because it’s quality time for us and we…have them here for a couple of days,” he said. “We can talk and show them a lot examples and stuff about players and things. I think it’s extremely important…just interacting with everybody and associating with this organization.”

The rookie many fans are most excited about is quarterback Paxton Lynch out of Memphis.

In the first round of the 2016 NFL draft, the Broncos moved up a small handful of spots to select Lynch with the 26th overall pick. Lynch is a tall (6’7″), athletic passer with the arm strength to make every throw required in the NFL.

Earlier this offseason, the Broncos traded for veteran Mark Sanchez. He has experience working in a similar offense from his days at USC. Sanchez could easily begin the season as the starter if Lynch is not ready to take his place at the top of the depth chart. However, the rookie has an opportunity over the next few months to make his case for the first spot.

From the early clues gathered after Lynch was drafted, it looks like the Broncos will have no issue throwing him into the fire. Will he be ready for Week 1? Should he get more time to develop? Let’s investigate the signs the team has given us at this early juncture.

Minicamp Observations

Coming from a pass-happy system in college, Lynch is far from a finished product, and he’ll have to develop a pro skill set. This includes working from under center regularly, making multiple reads across the entire field while dropping back, and understanding how defenses will try to disguise coverages.

On his first day of action, all Lynch did was work from under center. His dropback seemed smooth, and his scissor step was natural and crisp. Lynch did a good job of staying light on his feet after the dropback and before his throws.

Kubiak was blunt in his observations of Lynch from day one of rookie minicamp.

“Just watching today, he’s swimming,” Kubiak said. “I think this guy is going to make up a lot ground very quickly. He’s very eager. He’s got some very good characteristics or energy, I guess I should say, from a leadership standpoint [from] just watching him work out there. A lot to do, but he’s all in, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Lynch’s accuracy on short and intermediate passes was quite good. …

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