When former Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins swooped in for a visit with the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, he crossed paths with none other than Peyton Manning.
"He's kind of a rock star, so I didn't want to bother him," Cousins told The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday, adding that he wasn't sure whether to call him "Peyton" or "Mr. Manning."
Cousins said he'll use first names from here on out. A good idea, considering he and Manning could be teammates someday soon.
The Broncos have been wheeling prospective signal-callers through the facility all month. We can't imagine Denver heading into the season with Caleb Hanie as the top option should Manning suffer injury, meaning some rookie passer is about to stumble upon a world-class mentor.
Cousins is in the mix. Touted for his leadership ability and high character, there are questions about his arm strength. He's a solid fit for a precision-type offense, and very coachable.
Asked to named the top-five quarterbacks in the draft, Cousins listed Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden -- and then he named himself, but not necessarily in that order. He was unwilling to place Tannehill or Weeden above him.
"It's hard to say. I haven't really evaluated their film," Cousins said. "I have been around (Tannehill and Weeden), and thrown around them. I think we all throw the ball pretty well. And we're all hard workers and we're all smart guys. I think there's more similarities there than differences, but I think we all belong in the discussion there."