Sean Payton’s QB Pipeline: Will Denver Make a Splash in the Draft?

Sean Payton’s QB Pipeline: Will Denver Make a Splash in the Draft?

If Denver chooses not to select a quarterback in the first round, Michael Pratt of Tulane might become available later.

This week, Sean Payton has continued to mold Denver into a team that resembles New Orleans West.

This week, the Broncos made efforts to bring on two longtime Saints: scout Cody Rager and former offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr.

They join a long list of others, including numerous players on the roster with connections to the Bayou, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, linebackers coach Joe Vitt, offensive line coach Zach Strief, and tight ends coach Declan Doyle.

Of course, that’s not shocking given that Payton was the head coach there from 2006 to 2021,

but it’s noteworthy that the additions have hardly decreased since the coach’s debut in Denver.

An intriguing hypothetical development: What if Denver made the decision to try developing a quarterback from New Orleans as well?

That would be Michael Pratt of Tulane, a Senior Bowl participant who came into the week with most people predicting that he would be selected in the second or third round of the April selection.

For the most part, Pratt has made clean, fast judgments over the first two practices of the week.

He has also stated that he is learning a lot.

“Being out here with this level of competition, the caliber of guys that are out here, and everyone’s got the same goal is just the coolest thing,” Pratt stated to The Post. “Here, we’re attempting to improve one another.”

Our goal is to recover as much as possible and absorb all of the information available to us. That’s the truly crucial thing.

Over the course of his four years at Tulane, Pratt participated in 46 games.

He completed less passes than interceptions, threw for 9,611 yards and 90 touchdowns against 26 interceptions, and increased his completion percentage every year until reaching 65.3% as a senior this past autumn.

QBs rarely pull the ball down and run here, but Pratt demonstrated this week that he was willing to do it. Over his career, he has 447 carries (2.6 per) and 28 touchdowns on the ground.

However, he mostly plays out of the pocket and has the kind of toolkit that, should Payton and company decide not to select a quarterback early in the draft, they would find useful.

“Getting my footwork right is the biggest thing I’ve been working on,” Pratt stated.

The small aspects that I’ve wanted to focus on over the last few weeks and while training, as well as the minor things that can help me become more accurate.

“That has an application to what we’re doing out here.”

It is common for players to speak with representatives from almost every team during Senior Bowl week and the NFL Scouting Combine, so Pratt’s confirmation that he had a conversation with Broncos brass this week is not shocking.

However, he acknowledged that he had previously had “a couple of interviews” and stated that he had spoken with the organization more than once.

On Wednesday, he told reporters, “They’ve been awesome.” “A lot of just getting to know the person, background information, support system, and that kind of stuff.”

Just by glancing over Pratt’s resume, the Broncos and other clubs can see one thing: throughout his tenure at Tulane, he helped elevate a floundering program to new heights.

The Green Wave finished 2-10 in 2021 after going 6-6 in his first year of play. However, Pratt is proud of the program’s 23-5 overall record during the last two seasons (12-2 in 2022 and 11-3 in 2023).

He declared, “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” “I’m really proud of everything the entire team accomplished from the moment I joined until the end.”

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