The Denver Broncos have finally added another piece at quarterback.
The defending Super Bowl champions drafted Memphis' Paxton Lynch with the No. 26 pick in the NFL draft.
A lightly recruited player in high school, Lynch was one of the past season's biggest risers in a standout junior campaign at Memphis. He threw for 3,776 yards and 28 touchdowns with just four interceptions while completing 66.8% of his passes.
At 6-foot-7, 244 pounds, Lynch drew many teams' interest with a strong arm and athleticism to make plays outside the pocket. But he could require an extended adjustment period coming out of a Memphis system that limited his responsibilities and was heavy on screen passes and rollouts.
But he could be an eventual fit for Gary Kubiak's offense, which has featured an assortment of rollouts and bootlegs. Now the Broncos must decide when Lynch will be ready to take the reins, as Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian are the only other options at quarterback following Peyton Manning's retirement and the departure of Brock Osweiler to the Houston Texans.
"We're thrilled that Paxton Lynch is going to be a Bronco," Broncos general manager John Elway wrote on Twitter. "He fits what we do very well and plays the game with a lot of enthusiasm."
Elway also told Denver's 9News that drafting Lynch ended the Broncos' pursuit of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
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