Three days before the 2013 NFL Draft began, Broncos executive vice president John Elway said Denver wasn't in the market for drafting a quarterback. In the seventh round of the draft on Saturday, Elway changed his mind -- or maybe he just smoke-screened himself because with the 234th overall pick, the Broncos selected Miami of Ohio quarterback Zac Dysert.
Dysert was the ninth quarterback taken in the draft and second of the seventh round.
Thrilled that Zac Dysert from Miami of Ohio was available for us to take. You can never have enough QBs. Talented player & competitor.
— John Elway (@johnelway) April 27, 2013
Last season, Dysert led the Mid-American Conference in passing yards with 3,483 and helped the Redhawks rank second in the MAC in total offensive yards per game (312.3). Dysert's 12,016 career passing yards at Miami rank third on the school's all-time list and represent the 20th highest total in NCAA history.
Although the Redhawks finished with a losing record in three of Dysert's four years as a starter, Dysert did lead the team to a MAC Championship and GoDaddy.com Bowl win in 2010, a season where Miami finished 10-4.
NFLDraftScout.com's Rob Rang called Dysert one of the more 'intriguing' second tier quarterback prospects in this draft. "Looks the part of the an NFL quarterback. Possesses an efficient, over-the-top release and good accuracy on in-cutting routes," Rang wrote in his pre-draft analysis of Dysert.
If Dysert wants to back up Peyton Manning in Denver, he'll have to beat out Brock Osweiler, who the Broncos drafted in the second round last year.
Dysert is the first Miami quarterback to be drafted in any round since the Steelers picked Ben Roethlisberger 11th overall in the 2004 draft.
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