Kiz: At the end of a sad, strange Broncos season that was supposed to be all about finding out if Drew Lock could be the man, do we really have a definitive answer? We saw flashes, but it’s difficult for me to say with any assurance that there’s true greatness in Lock. So with the ninth overall pick of what appears to be a 2021 NFL draft talent rich at the game’s most crucial position, should John Elway select a quarterback and move on from Lock?

O’Halloran: If the rest of the Broncos’ depth chart was in decent shape, then I would say Elway and coach Vic Fangio should stay put at No. 9 and draft the best available quarterback. Lock’s 75.4 rating was 32nd out of 35 qualified quarterbacks his 15 interceptions tied for first and his 16 touchdowns tied for 20th. But this will upset the part of the Broncos’ fan base that is holier-than-thou and still think Peyton Manning is an option: The best play in the first round is to find a player who can make plays against Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr. Taking a quarterback ninth overall would generate attention, but it would doom Fangio’s tenure because his defense is in need of major repairs.

Kiz: Let’s do a blind test on two young QBs. Quarterback A: 3,401 yards on 59.5 completion percentage for 18 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in 14 games. Quarterback B: 2,933 yards on 57.3 completion percentage for 16 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions in 13 games. Quarterback A? Trevor Siemian, during his second pro season in 2016, when the Broncos averaged 20.8 points per game. Quarterback B? Lock, during his second pro season in 2020, when Denver averaged 20.2 points per game. Is Lock better than Siemian? Production says no.

O’Halloran: Good comparison. I wasn’t around for The Siemian Era, but would you take Lock over Case Keenum (2018) and Joe Flacco (2019)? I probably would because Lock isn’t afraid to take chances with the football whereas Keenum appeared spooked by early-season interceptions. Flacco simply broke down. During their five-year playoff drought, the Broncos have finished 22nd, 27th, 24th, 28th and 28th in points scored. I think I just made the case for drafting a quarterback ninth overall, but I’ll stick with my original premise of drafting defense, defense, defense in the first three rounds.

Kiz: I’m not hating on Lock. In fact, I really like the young man, even when he says his job as Denver’s quarterback is the toughest in the world amid a global pandemic. But I think the Broncos have finally realized the formula that won Super Bowl 50, an awesome defense to prop up a merely competent quarterback, can no longer be the way going forward. If there’s a quarterback better than Lock anywhere in the top 10 of this draft that is within Elway’s ability to obtain in trade, I think the Broncos have to make that move. Can you give me a possible target?

O’Halloran: Trevor Lawrence (No. 1 to Jacksonville) will be gone unless Elway can pull off the trade of a lifetime with the to-be-named Jaguars general manager and coach. The other quarterback who checks the main box Elway desires is BYU’s Zach Wilson. He’s 6-foot-6. Enough said, right? What stands out about Wilson’s statistics is his touchdown-to-interception totals — 55 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions. Plus, his completion percentages of 65.9, 62.4 and 73.5 suggests he has the kind of accuracy to play in the NFL.