John Elway Interacts with Denver Broncos Fans on Twitter

What an opportunity. How many times before have you been asked about your NFL Draft thoughts from a person who actually has a draft pick? For me, this has happened a total of zero times. Today, that changed. John Elway asked Broncos fans via twitter who they would like to see in a Broncos uniform. It remains to be seen whether the answers provided will hold any weight when it comes down to Draft Day, but it is unprecedented to see this amount of interaction between fans and the Broncos Vice Presient of Football Operations.

John Elway's day on twitter didn't end there.

Here is a list of the prospects that will be a part of the Missouri pro-day:

The name that jumps out to everyone on that list is most likely Blaine Gabbert. We've all been wondering why the Broncos would have any interest in a quarterback in the upcoming draft. However, I'm still not convinced Blaine Gabbert is very high on the Broncos Draft Board. Certainly, showing interest in Gabbert could be a smokescreen for other teams and, as John Elway said, they want to look at as many players as possible.

The name that jumps out to me on that Missouri Pro Day list, more so than Blaine Gabbert, is Aldon Smith. Aldon Smith has been considered a top 15 pick in many mock drafts is believed to be either a 3-4 OLB or a 4-3 DE. If the Broncos do get a trading partner to move down the draft board, Aldon Smith could be a possibility. To determine whether or not he would be a good fit, the Broncos will have to evaluate him at Missouri's pro day, which is exactly what they're doing.

Another thing you may notice about that list is how many defensive players will work out at the pro day. Although not all 8 prospects are considered first round picks, the Broncos are likely doing their research for later round picks. The draft doesn't end after round 2. As fans, we can sometimes get caught up in only the first few rounds of the Draft. Those are the players who have immediate impacts on the football team, but for John Elway, John Fox and Brian Xanders, that's only the tip of the iceberg. They have to keep track of 7 rounds worth of player prospects, as well as free agents, not to mention undrafted players. They have a lot of work ahead of them and we all (myself included) have to realize that the 2nd overall pick is just a small part of what they will be worrying about.

In case you were wondering what John Elway thinks of the CBA situation, he made it perfectly clear this morning. He's optimistic that a deal will be done, but in the mean time, the Broncos will move ahead with preparations for the draft. This has been the position of the Broncos organization for the past few weeks and it truly is the best possible position to have, at a time like this. There's really not much that they can do, at this point, to get a deal in place. It's going to be quiet until April 6th. Until that point, the Broncos should (and will) be fully focused on the draft. They can't afford to be unprepared when Roger Goodell puts them on the clock in 43 days.

John Elway and the rest of the Broncos organization have been using twitter over the past few months as a barometer for the way Broncos Country reacts to different situations. If you have a twitter, make sure to follow John Elway and get your questions in.