Zane Beadles (68) enters the field before the first quarter of the AFC divisional round playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at Sports Authority Field. (Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)

The draft is something that every NFL player remembers, whether they were drafted or not. As many have found, turning pro isn’t a right. It’s a privilege.

I caught up with Denver Broncos guard Zane Beadles, quarterback Brock Osweiler, and former long snapper Lonnie Paxton on draft night for one-on-one interviews to discuss what their draft experiences were like (I interviewed Beadles and Paxton at a bowling/draft watching party for their respective charities, The Zane Beadles Foundation and Active Force Foundation).

Beadles was taken in the second round (13th pick) of the 2010 draft out of Utah. He was watching the draft with family and friends before Josh McDaniels called him.

“I had a group of people, family and friends, watch the first ten picks of the second round,” Beadles said. “I was driving myself crazy, and decided to go get some food like any offensive lineman would, and got the call three picks later. It was a great experience. I was literally shaking on the phone as I got the call. It was definitely nerve racking.”

Osweiler was also taken in the second round. The Broncos selected him out of Arizona State as the 25th pick in the second round. Osweiler said that on Thursday night, he wasn’t too nervous because he wasn’t really expected to go in the first round. When day two rolled around, Osweiler was ready to put an NFL cap on.

“Friday, I woke up and had breakfast with all my best friends,” Osweiler said. “I came back and just kind of spent the day with my family at our house. As the pick got closer and closer to Denver, I started to get a little bit more nervous because I really wanted to end up in Denver. I didn’t want them to pass on me. Sure enough, I was holding my cell phone in my hand. It started vibrating. I looked down and it was a 303 number. The rest is history.”

Lonie Paxton (66) warms up before the game against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. Denver defeated Oakland 38-24. (Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports)

Beadles and Osweiler were drafted early, but the most successful of the three men that I talked to Thursday night went undrafted. Paxton played nine seasons for the New England Patriots and won three Super Bowl rings with them. He famously snapped the ball to Adam Vinatieri for the game winning 48-yard field goal in Super Bowl XXXVI. Then Paxton went on to play three seasons for the Broncos.

Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.

Brock Osweiler (6) prepares to pass in the fourth quarter during the game against the Kansas City Chief at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 38-3. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

John Elway took to the podium Monday afternoon for his annual pre-draft press conference.

Elway said that the Broncos are open to draft-day trades, but he expects them to hold solid with the No. 28 pick in the first round.

“I think that you look at the depth of this draft and there are a lot of good football players in this draft,” Elway said. “As I stand here now, we’ll get a good football player at No. 28. That’s our plan right now. We’ll see how things go from here through the rest of the week.”

Elway went over the Broncos’ needs at defensive line, running back, and cornerback, but perhaps the most interesting take he gave was on this draft’s quarterback class.

“I’m just glad we’re not in that market, let’s put it that way,” Elway said on the quarterbacks in this year’s draft.

That puts things into perspective regarding the Broncos’ top quarterback pick in last year’s draft. Elway thinks that Brock Osweiler easily could have been a first round selection in the 2013 draft.

“I think he would have been real close to the top, if not the top, of this class this year,” Elways said. “We’re just thrilled—he’s going to be so much better with a year under his belt, and learn how everything works, and get a chance to work underneath Peyton. He’ll get a lot of reps this spring with Peyton kind of watching the amount of throws that he’s going to make, that it will be a great opportunity for Brock this spring.”

If all goes according to plan, Elway has his quarterback of the future flying right under the wings of the best quarterback in the game. That’s way better than any No. 28 pick.

Nov 18 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (6) and quarterback Peyton Manning (18) before the game against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

With the kick off to the NFL’s scouting combine Wednesday in Indianapolis, over 330 eligible players will be present, and expect the Denver Broncos will be among 32 teams that will be in attendance. Even before the combine, it is no surprise that the day after the Super Bowl on February 3rd, the Denver staff has wasted no time in their own huddle at Dove Valley evaluating possible draft picks and free agents for the 2013 season.

This year will be a different kind of off season for the Broncos now that Peyton Manning has sealed the starting quarterback position, giving the Broncos staff a chance beef up other parts of the lineup. In fact, for the first time since John Elway has been head of the Broncos’ football operations, the Broncos will not be considering a quarterback for the roster. So what does this mean? Yes, Elway is still behind his 2012 2nd round draft pick, Brock Osweiler.

Living here in Arizona and being a Denver fan, I heard lots of criticism about Elway’s choice in acquiring Osweiler, especially since he was the quarterback for Arizona State. After discussing the draft with fans during the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos pre-season game last year, some were for the Broncos’ pick, and others were obviously against it. In fact, some felt it would have been nice if the Arizona Cardinals picked him up, where he may have had a better chance to play the starting position. Maybe, maybe not, but all I know is Elway saw something in Osweiler that he liked, and impressing Elway says a lot. It’s true that under Peyton Manning, Osweiler did not really see a valuable snap in 2012, but that does not mean that he is not vitally important to the Broncos’ future.

When asked recently what Elway’s thoughts were about adding Osweiler to the roster, Elway told the Denver Post, “My thought was, we wanted a guy for the future, No. 1. No. 2, if it didn’t work out with Peyton, we could load up with a guy that we liked and who could be the guy for the next 10, 12 years. And No. 3, if Peyton did come back and play like he did, then Brock could get a great education of how things were supposed to be done as a quarterback, what you had to go through, to see one of the best of all time do it. To me it was a perfect scenario. With the importance of that position, you never waste one. Plus, we liked him a lot. And having been with him a year, we like him even more.”

Would we like to see Osweiler play? Yes, but if he isn’t, that means Peyton Manning is healthy and playing and I (and I am sure most others) are extremely happy with that. Being chosen by one of the greats (Elway), and learning under one of the greats (Manning); Osweiler is in line to be shaped for a successful quarterback future with the Broncos, even if it means only taking snaps in practice and backing up Manning for a few years. Hey, it has happened before. Aaron Rodgers was Brett Favre’s backup for 3 seasons before taking the helm at starting quarterback in 2008, which ultimately lead the Green Bay Packers to winning Super Bowl XLV in 2010.  With Brock Osweiler learning under Peyton Manning, who knows; we may just see a repeat of the past.

Go Broncos!

Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.