Broncos roll the dice on Drew Lock’s development, select LB Micah Parsons at No. 9

I selected Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons with the ninth overall selection for the Denver Broncos in the SB Nation’s 2021 NFL mock draft.

This scenario ended up being the worst-case scenario for the Denver Broncos in my opinion. Both Justin Fields and Trey Lance were off the board which left Alabama’s Mac Jones for me at ninth overall. I decided to pass on Jones because I do not think he’s worthy of that sort of selection. With the quarterbacks off the board, I set my sights on the offensive tackles. Unfortunately, both Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater went the two selections before the Broncos. With tight end Kyle Pitts off the board as well, it didn’t leave much for the Broncos.

My perspective when the pick was made:

Mac Jones isn’t it for me and I’d rather roll the dice on Drew Lock’s development than take a second-round talent at QB in my opinion at ninth overall.

Ideally the Broncos would trade back here with the top four quarterbacks and top two offensive tackles off the board. So I have the Broncos going with the top-rated defensive player here in Micah Parsons. Head Coach Vic Fangio loves talented linebackers like Parsons, and he’ll be the cherry on top of what appears to be a revamped Denver Broncos defense on paper. Parsons does have some sketchy off-the-field stuff that needs to be checked out, but if all is acceptable, I think this could be a good pick for the Broncos.

I was stuck deciding between cornerback Patrick Surtain and linebacker Micah Parsons. With cornerback not being an immediate need and one that could be easily addressed later in the draft, I went with Parsons because he would likely have an instant impact on the Broncos defense. However, if trades were allowed, the Broncos would be trading back in this scenario. Taking an off-the-ball linebacker at ninth overall isn’t great value, but it was the best pick for the Broncos under the circumstances.

Parson’s would bring some explosive play to the Broncos defense and would have the potential to blossom into a top linebacker in the league under Vic Fangio. His coverage needs some work, but his ability in all others aspects of the game would make him an instant impact starter for the Broncos defense.