Broncos, Browns among teams interested in Northwestern QB Trevor Siemian

Trevor Siemian

He is rarely mentioned among the quarterbacks in the 2015 NFL Draft class. Five months ago, he wasn’t even sure if he would ever play football again.

Trevor Siemian may be an off-the-radar player, but his draft stock is gaining momentum.

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The Broncos used a top-30 visit on the Northwestern quarterback. He worked out for the Bears. The Browns had him in for a visit over the weekend and put him through a workout Tuesday afternoon in Evanston, Ill.

Siemian suffered a torn ACL last November, so projecting an NFL future is difficult. But his goal is to get a foot in the door.

“Not just get in the door, but be a good player and be somebody who adds value to a team," Siemian told Perform Media. "I have confidence that I can start in the league. That has to be every quarterback’s mindset. That’s down the road right now. Let me start by getting my knee back and go from there.

“I don’t want to just get into a camp and get by. When it’s all said and done, I want to be a quarterback who excels in the league.”

Siemian was on top of the world one week and doubting his football future the next.

The Wildcats were coming off a 43-40 OT win over then No. 15 Notre Dame. Siemian threw for 284 yards and a score on 30-of-48 passing and ran for 32 yards and a touchdown. The 6-2, 215-pound Florida native injured his left knee a week later during a 38-14 win over Purdue on Nov. 22.

“Offensively we were finally starting to play our best football,” Siemian said. “Coming off the high of the Notre Dame game and against Purdue, we were playing really well. Then the injury happened.

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“I wasn’t sure if I would rehab in time and get a shot,” Siemian said. “I’m kind of a fringe guy, but once I heard I might have an opportunity, that’s all I needed to give it a go.”

He was able to start training again on March 10 and there were six teams at Siemian’s pro day April 9 — the Broncos, Browns and Bears included. Those teams may provide the best opportunity for him to make a 53-man roster.

With Peyton Manning likely playing the final year of his career and Brock Osweiler entering the final season of his contract, the Broncos could give Siemian an opportunity to win the job in 2016. Denver’s third quarterback is Zac Dysert, a seventh-round pick in 2013 from Miami (Ohio), who has yet to play and was not selected by Broncos coach Gary Kubiak. While Kubiak appears to have genuine interest in Siemian, he is taking nothing for granted.

“That’s putting the carriage ahead of the horse,” Siemian said. “It was awesome to meet Coach Kubiak and all the coaches. It’s a great group of guys up there. I’m sure they’re just doing their due diligence and checking everyone out.”

NFL teams did not have the opportunity to meet Siemian at any of the senior all-star games or at the NFL Combine because of his injury. But in addition to meeting with the Broncos, Bears and Browns, he has drawn interest from the Texans, Titans, Redskins, Raiders, Chargers, Dolphins and Falcons.

The Broncos have consecutive compensatory picks at the end of the seventh round and there is a strong possibility they will use one of those to select Siemian. Kubiak told Siemian that his best football is ahead of him.

“That’s what I believe,” said Siemian, who threw for 5,931 yards with 27 touchdowns and 24 interceptions during his college career. “My game translates well to the next level in terms of being able to throw from the pocket and get the ball out quick. That’s what I’m thinking, and Coach Kubiak mentioned something like that as well.”

Denver would present a perfect opportunity to learn from a future Hall of Famer in Manning while nursing his knee back to 100 percent.

“It’d be an awesome situation,” Siemian said of learning from not only Manning, but also Kubiak (himself a former NFL quarterback), Broncos quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp and even Broncos president and Hall of Fame QB John Elway. “It’s a pretty quarterback-friendly organization, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. Too much can happen.”

Siemian said his rehab is going well and he’s on track to be fully healthy by June. He feels good but doesn't want to "push it too much" and is "just staying the course."

Also a standout baseball player in the Orlando area, Siemian was highly recruited out of high school and smart enough to get accepted to Harvard.

“A lot goes into my preparation,” the 23-year-old said. “My acuity from a mental standpoint and being able to process information, going through my reads, pre-snap and post-snap. That’s something I try to prepare myself for, but obviously I’m not perfect. That’s one area I try to separate myself. By no means am I a finished product.”

A quarterback’s “quality of work” decreases when rushed and Siemian knows he can “navigate the pocket” better when it collapses. That will be a point of focus once he’s back to 100 percent.

While the consensus top three quarterbacks in the draft are Florida State’s Jameis Winston, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Baylor’s Bryce Petty, the next group includes UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson, Oregon State’s Sean Mannion and East Carolina’s Shane Carden. Siemian does not have a draftable grade by any draft analysts but believes he belongs in the discussion.  

“All those guys are pretty darn good football players,” Siemian said. “There’s a reason those guys’ names are mentioned, but I’ll bet on myself going against anybody. That’s the mentality you have to take into this.”

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