John Elway Thinks Brock Osweiler Would Have Been First Round Selection in 2013 Draft

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.