First-round pick Paxton Lynch will reportedly make first start for Broncos

Another rookie quarterback will make his first career start early in this 2017 NFL season.

First-round pick Paxton Lynch will get his shot this week. He will start against the Atlanta Falcons in place of Trevor Siemian, who has an injured left shoulder, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver. Siemian could be available for next Thursday’s game at the San Diego Chargers, Klis reported.

Lynch played pretty well in his first NFL snaps last week, after Siemian got hurt. Lynch completed 14-of-24 passes for 170 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even though SIemian has played well, it’s a good chance for the 4-0 Broncos to get a look at Lynch. Lynch still projects as the team’s quarterback of the future, because of his immense physical talent. He looked good in preseason. Now the Broncos can see how he reacts to getting a start.

Lynch will be the second of the three first-round picks to start this season. Carson Wentz has started every game for the Philadelphia Eagles. When Lynch starts, No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams will be the last remaining first-round pick who hasn’t started. Rookies Cody Kessler of the Cleveland Browns, Jacoby Brissett of the New England Patriots and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys have also started.

The Broncos are one of the rare teams that is not built around the quarterback position. They’re a defense-first team that has good wideouts and can run the ball. Lynch won’t be asked to do too much.

Siemian has been a nice surprise during a fast start for the Broncos. Maybe if Lynch plays well on Sunday an inevitable quarterback controversy will begin, sooner than the team expected.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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