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INDIANAPOLIS — Broncos general manager heads into his eighth NFL draft as a team executive and arguably his most important yet. Over the years Elway has said he likes to plug his biggest roster holes in free agency and use the draft to add complementary pieces. But what exactly is he looking for in selecting those pieces?

Here’s a breakdown of his 54 selections in years past:

Schools

• Elway has chosen three players from Oklahoma — the most of any school — and all of whom are/were defenders: DL Jeremy Beal in 2011, DB Quinton Carter in 2011 and LB in 2014. Only Nelson is still active and he will be a free agent in March.

• Elway has taken two players apiece from the following schools: Arizona State, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State, Tulane, Utah.

• Some of the notable powerhouse schools Elway has yet to draft a player from are Alabama, Clemson, Penn State, Auburn, Notre Dame, Southern California, Michigan State, Oregon or Stanford (his alma mater).

Position

Defensive backs – 11
Four are still on the team: cornerbacks and Brendan Langley, and safeties and .

Offensive linemen – 9
Four — guards and , center and tackle Garett Bolles — are still on the team and three of them started last season.

Defensive linemen – 8
Three are still on the team: defensive ends , and DeMarcus Walker. Only Wolfe was a starter in 2017.

Quarterbacks – 5
, and Chad Kelly are under contract for 2018. , a 2012 pick, re-signed as a free agent in 2017. Siemian, Lynch and Osweiler all rotated as starters last season but none are expected to start next season.

Running backs – 5
, De’Angelo Henderson and fullback are the only drafted backs under contract for 2018.

Linebackers – 7
and , the only 2017 starters of the group, are under contract for 2018. Corey Nelson will be a free agent and the four others are no longer on the team.

Receivers – 4
, Carlos Henderson and Isaiah McKenzie were on the roster last season but none started. Henderson was on injured reserve and McKenzie was benched twice for performance reasons.

Tight ends – 4
Three — , and Jake Butt — were under contract in 2017, but only the first two played. Butt was on IR. , the fourth tight end drafted by Elway, left as a free agent in 2015.

Punter – 1
, a seventh-round pick in 2016, is under contract for 2018.

Age

• The average age of Elway’s picks is 22.7 years. Running back , a third-round pick in 2012, was the youngest at 20. Philip Blake, a fourth-round offensive lineman in 2012, was the oldest at 26.

NFL Accomplishments

• Only outside linebacker Von Miller, the No. 2 overall pick 2011, has earned first-team all-pro honors. He’s earned three, in fact, along with three second-team all-pro honors.

• Only two picks — Miller (six) and Julius Thomas (two) — earned honors during their time as Broncos. Defensive end earned one last year with the . Miller is the only of the three still on the Broncos’ roster.

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All Broncos draft picks since 2011