ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When the Broncos were put on the clock with the 10th-overall pick, there was media speculation that quarterback Drew Lock could be the team's selection.
The Broncos instead traded back.
When they came back on the clock at No. 20, the Lock whispers returned.
This time, the Broncos took tight end Noah Fant.
At No. 41, would it be Lock? Not so, as John Elway and Co. selected Kansas State offensive lineman Dalton Risner.
But then came the Broncos' second trade of the draft, as Denver sent the 52nd-, 125th- and 182nd-overall picks to the Cincinnati Bengals to move back up to the 42nd pick.
And that is when the Broncos finally selected Lock, who set the SEC single-season touchdown passing record in 2017 with 44 scores.
"The last [few] hours, or however long it was, were definitely interesting," Lock said Friday after being drafted. "You go to the draft, and I wanted to be there. Everyone's got their idea of what they think you're going to be. Actually, no one ends up knowing. What happens, happens there. The sun came up today and I was ready to get the day going. I had kind of a long wait today to get to 6 o'clock. I ended up getting to be a Bronco by the end of the day. I couldn't be more excited to be a part of the organization.
"No, I did not grow up a Broncos fan. I was a Chiefs guy. But I couldn't be more excited to be able to go back to Kansas City and hopefully get a couple wins with 'the bad guys.'"
Count Elway among those who wasn't sure Lock would be on the board at No. 42.
"We're very fortunate," Elway said. "We didn't think he'd fall nearly this far. We liked him as a player, and I think that he can be a very good player in this league for a long time."
When Lock arrives in Denver, though, he'll first spend time learning behind starting quarterback Joe Flacco.
"Right now, he'll come in [and] we've got a starting quarterback in Joe Flacco," Elway said. "He'll be an understudy and I'm sure learn a lot from Joe. He'll come in and he's a young guy that is in a situation to be able to learn and compete for the backup spot."
Lock, who said he has a "king-size Pringles" chip on his shoulder after slipping to the second round, said he's fine with an arrangement that puts him in "a prime spot."
"Joe is a great quarterback," Lock said. "Obviously, he's won a lot of football games and a Super Bowl. I couldn't be more excited to be able to go in there and learn from a guy like that. Just to get under him and see what he's all about. Learn from a — I'll say it again — learn from a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
"I couldn't be more excited to be able to go in there and do that [and] just be the best teammate I can be right off the bat."
