Better than any magic he created in the pocket, John Elway has masterfully toed the line between his full-hearts-clear-eyes belief in Joe Flacco and quietly developing the 34-year-old quarterback's succession plan.

Having completed requisite "homework," the Duke of Denver's final test will come April 25, when he may be faced with the prospect of grabbing the QB he most covets with the Broncos' No. 10 overall pick.

Take Missouri's Drew Lock — if he's available, obviously — and instantly put Flacco, the gunslinger supposedly entering his prime, on notice.

Eschew him (or Dwayne Haskins), and signal to the former Super Bowl MVP that he need not worry.

By now, it's beyond clear he will select a quarterback. The question for another two weeks, though, is when.

But if Yahoo Sports NFL insider Charles Robinson hears correctly, Lock and Haskins should expect to don another team's draft hat. A reluctance to put pressure on Flacco, claims a sourced Robinson, ultimately will force Elway into a rare show of restraint.

"From what I've been told, the Broncos know there's going to be a game where Joe Flacco has 180 passing yards, and they don't want to turn this into, 'Put the kid in. Put the kid in. Put the kid in,'" he said.

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Able to hold 30 pre-draft visits, Denver has worked out nearly every top QB from a strikingly weak class. Beyond Lock and Haskins, they've also met with Duke's Daniel Jones, a potential Day 2 choice, and were expected to interview Oklahoma's Kyler Murray, pointless as that may be.

Perhaps more telling, the Broncos also sniffed around several mid-round talents, such as West Virginia's Will Grier, Auburn's Jarrett Stidham, Boise State's Brett Rypien, and Northwestern's Clayton Thorson. One prevailing notion forecasts Denver shoring up different roster holes before importing an aforementioned passer on Day 3.

Robinson agrees.

"I think the Broncos — and watch, this guarantees now that they'll take the quarterback — see other guys that they think they could develop a little further down in the draft and select," he said. "They do need a quarterback, they absolutely need a quarterback, I just don't know that they take that guy at 10."

Taking Elway at his word — and I realize it's an exercise in futility during lying season — the Broncos are fully committed to Flacco, and thus have no urge to create inevitable camp controversy. With new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello hired chiefly for his QB development skills, they can afford to spend a year molding someone raw (Grier, for example) rather than burn a premium pick on a pro-ready guy (Haskins, for example).

Which encapsulates the beauty of Elway's plan, or so it appears.