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6 Quarterbacks The Broncos Might Pick In The NFL Draft

DENVER (CBS4) - For the Broncos and the option of drafting a quarterback, it's likely not a question of if, it's a question of when.

That's according to Broncos Coach Gary Kubiak, who said earlier this month that the team has been preparing to select a QB in the draft, which starts on Thursday.

The team currently has only two quarterbacks on their roster: Trevor Siemian and Mark Sanchez, and it's pretty standard for an NFL team to have at least four at the start of training camp.

So, what college stars are out there? It's very possible Carson Wentz out of North Dakota State and Jared Goff of California will go with the first two picks in the draft, and they certainly won't fall far if they aren't picked in those spots. There are several other interesting quarterbacks still on the board after that, though.

Andrew Mason
Andrew Mason (credit: CBS)

DenverBroncos.com writer Andrew Mason shared his thoughts on several of those players on the CBS4 Sports show All Access on Sunday.

Paxton Lynch, Memphis

Paxton Lynch
Paxton Lynch of the Memphis Tigers throws a pass on Nov. 21, 2015 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (credit: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Mason wrote on DenverBroncos.com that Paxton Lynch has great "mobility, downfield vision, feel for the pass rush and ability to throw on the move." He said on All Access that if Lynch isn't selected early on in the first round, the Broncos might make a trade up to get him. "Now it's got to get to a certain point where (that) wouldn't cost them all that much, similar to Shane Ray last year when they moved up to 23. You want the kind of deal that if you move up for a guy, it's not going to cost you a first round pick. They really value those first round picks. They don't want to trade a future one to move up. It will be interesting to see where he falls."

Dak Prescott, Mississippi State

Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott of the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on Nov. 14, 2015 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Beyond Lynch, Mason says "second and third round type quarterbacks" are interesting and out there. Prescott was the first QB Mason mentioned. He's from Mississippi State and has impressed NFL teams with his scrambling ability.

Connor Cook, Michigan State

Connor Cook
Quarterback Connor Cook of the Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 17, 2015 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Cook possesses great arm strength and field awareness and had a great college college career in a pro-style offense at Michigan State. He won the Johnny Unitas award and, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, has good speed and athleticism.

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

Christian Hackenberg
Christian Hackenberg of the Penn State Nittany Lions on Oct. 31, 2015 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The Penn State quarterback had tremendous success early in his college career but endured some growing pains in his final two years. Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout writes that "his size and arm are exciting (but he) remains a very raw passer who struggles to consistently set his feet, resulting in some frighteningly inaccurate passes."

Kevin Hogan, Stanford

Kevin Hogan
Kevin Hogan of the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on Nov. 28, 2015 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

"If the Broncos don't see the value they like I can see a quarterback on the third day," Mason said. He called Hogan, the Stanford QB who could be selected in the middle rounds, "intriguing" and a good decision maker (despite some questions about his throwing mechanics). On DenverBroncos.com Mason wrote in response to a question about similarities between Hogan and Tim Tebow that Hogan "delivers the football with much more zip ... reads a defense quicker, and also gets the football out quicker." He also said Hogan "projects better to running a pro-style offense" and "should be able to go through his progressions and get to the second read better" than Tebow did during his pro career.

Brandon Allen, Arkansas

Brandon Allen
Brandon Allen of the Arkansas Razorbacks throws a pass at Razorback Stadium on Nov. 15, 2014 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

The knock against Allen, out of Arkansas, is that he has small hands. But Mason says he has shown effectiveness in some areas the Broncos system values in a thrower. "I saw him do a play action boot at the Senior Bowl practice that looked really good," Mason said.

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