There wasn’t much to go on when the Denver Broncos acquired AJ Derby on Oct. 25, 2016.
When it came to the former backup quarterback by way of Iowa, Coffeyville Community College and Arkansas, it was mostly projection. And in fairness, the same could be said of when the New England Patriots invested pick No. 202 overall in the 2015 draft on him as a tight end.
The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Derby went 19-of-36 passing for 178 yards and one touchdown as a Razorbacks redshirt junior in 2013. Then, he caught 22 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns during his final year of college eligibility before a knee injury finished with two games to go in 2014.