How Paxton Lynch went from a guy to the guy for Broncos

5:04 PM ET

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – All evening Thursday, minute after minute, pick after pick, the Denver Broncos decision-makers kept their eyes on the prize and hoped nobody else did.

So much so, executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway said the Broncos opened the draft with the intention of selecting University of Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch with the team’s first-round pick. And then the team sweated through each pick along the way before the Broncos couldn’t wait any longer and Elway traded two picks to the Seattle Seahawks to move up from No. 31 to No. 26 in order to select Lynch.

“We worked the phones from noon [Thursday] to try to find where we could slide in,’’ Elway said. “We talked to everybody starting at 17 all the way up and finally were able to do a deal with the Seahawks. We were thrilled to be able to do that, and Paxton was still there and we’re extremely excited. He’s a big, athletic, strong young guy that fits us perfectly.’’

Paxton Lynch has the size, arm and mobility in the pocket that the Broncos were looking for. Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Yes, of all of the quarterbacks on the draft board for the Broncos, Lynch is the one who became THE guy. And it’s because, in Lynch, they see many of the attributes Elway, a Hall of Fame quarterback, believes a top-flight passer must have to flourish in the league.

Start with enthusiasm, or as coach Gary Kubiak has said, a player “who you can tell it’s important to him, in how he …

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