Widely regarded as the third best quarterback in the 2016 NFL Draft, Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch is now a member of the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. He was selected with the #26 pick of the first round after Denver made a trade from the #31 spot to gain his services.
Lynch shot up draft boards this fall after passing for just over 3,700 yards as a junior last fall. He ended his stellar career at Memphis with 8,865 yards passing and 59 touchdowns to go along with 687 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground.
The 6-7 quarterback had been placed all over NFL Draft boards leading up to the draft with some mock drafts rating him as high as #7 overall and others dropping him to the second round. Lynch is the first Memphis quarterback to be selected in the NFL Draft since Steve Matthews in 1994.
Lynch is a perfect pick to be the signal caller of the future for the Broncos with many of his attributes, including an ability to throw on the run, exactly what the team covets.
Congrats to the Lynch on adding another underdog to the long list of first round NFL Draft picks.