The mystery is over, Broncos trade up and draft QB Paxton Lynch

Well, we have the answer. The Denver Broncos’ new quarterback is Paxton Lynch.

After an offseason of mystery, the Broncos let us know who will replace Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler. After a trade to move up five spots, Denver took Lynch, the huge quarterback from Memphis.

It would seem that would end the talk of the Broncos trading for Sam Bradford, Colin Kaepernick or acquiring any other quarterback they’ve been linked to this offseason.

The Broncos traded up from the 31st pick to get the Seattle Seahawks’ pick at No. 26. The Broncos gave up a third-round pick, 94th overall, to get that pick. The Broncos had to worry about another team trading up into the first round to take a quarterback, and also get ahead of a team like the Kansas City Chiefs that might have taken a quarterback.

Lynch might not start right away because he could need time to adjust to the NFL. Mark Sanchez could start the season. But the Super Bowl champions will eventually turn the reins over to Lynch.

After the Los Angeles Rams moved up to No. 1 and the Philadelphia Eagles moved up to No. 2, both to take quarterbacks, speculation began that Lynch might move up too, maybe even sneak into the top 10. That didn’t happen. Lynch didn’t get into the top 20 either. The New York Jets, who still haven’t re-signed starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, seemed like a good fit but they passed on Lynch too, at No. 20. Once Lynch fell to 26th, the cost for the Broncos to trade up and draft him was palatable.

Lynch is considered to be a bit raw because his experience at Memphis was almost entirely out of the shotgun in a spread offense. But he has tremendous size, at 6-foot-7, a strong arm and can throw well on the move. He had a very good 2015 season, with 3,776 yards, 28 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

The Broncos needed a quarterback. The cost to move up and take Lynch, the third quarterback selected on Thursday, wasn’t bad. It’s like Broncos general manager John Elway planned this way all along.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab