Drew Lock is getting his chance to prove to the Denver Broncos he should be their franchise quarterback. Unfortunately, Lock has two rookie wide receivers that are expected to be behind the 8-ball in developing chemistry with their quarterback, thanks to the lack of in-person offseason work. 

Lock still is finding ways to connect with one of his rookie wideouts, throwing to first-round pick Jerry Jeudy at a Denver-area field, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver. The Broncos didn’t have offseason minicamp due to facilities being shut down from the coronavirus pandemic, which means a greater deal for the offense since the team’s first two draft picks were two receivers, Jeudy and K.J. Hamler. Both players are expected to be two of the team’s top pass-catchers, even with the shortened offseason. 

Jeudy was arguably the top wide receiver in the draft, even if he was selected behind Alabama teammate Henry Ruggs (who went to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 12 overall). Jeudy finished with 77 catches for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide last season, a year after recording 68 catches for 1,913 yards — a whomping 19.3 yards per catch — for 14 touchdowns. CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Chris Trapasso said Jeudy is the “most electric, NFL-ready route-running prospect we’ve seen in quite some time,” making his offseason chemistry with Lock even more vital.  

Jeudy becoming Lock’s No. 1 target in Denver wouldn’t be surprising, but Courtland Sutton appears in line for a big year with Lock as his quarterback. Sutton finished with an impressive 2.48 yards per route run figure in 2019, via PlayerProfiler.com, the 12th-highest in football despite only catching passes in five games with Lock. 

How Denver will distribute the targets with Jeudy, Sutton, and Hamler will be one of the intriguing storylines of the AFC West in 2020, but Jeudy getting the needed reps with Lock is a good start for immediate success.