Ryan Shazier is so fast, he flew in Tuesday to visit the Broncos at Dove Valley and had flown back out by Wednesday.

Ryan Shazier is so fast, he is by far the fastest linebacker available in the 2014 NFL draft.

Ryan Shazier is so fast, he ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in 4.38 seconds. The next fastest linebacker, Texas A&M’s Nate Askew, was more than a tenth of a second slower, at 4.50.

The fastest inside linebacker, Montana’s Brock Coyle, ran his 40 in 4.62 seconds.

Make no mistake, Ryan Shazier is fast. And the former Ohio State Buckeye is fast becoming a popular choice on mock draft boards to land with the Broncos at No. 31.

Problem is, Shazier’s stock is moving up so fast, he may be gone by the time the Broncos select near the end of the first round. Shazier’s rise is due in part to a possible conversion from a deep class of outside linebackers to the thin ranks of middle linebackers.

The 6-foot-2 Shazier was a three-year starter at Ohio State before he declared for the draft following his true junior season. He played outside linebacker between 220 and 230 pounds with the Buckeyes, but weighed in at 237 pounds at the scouting combine.

In his sophomore and junior seasons combined, Shazier was credited with 259 tackles and 12 sacks.

The Broncos most pressing need is middle linebacker following the departures of Wesley Woodyard and Paris Lenon. The Broncos have a terrific weakside linebacker in Danny Trevathan and an All Pro-caliber strongside linebacker in Von Miller.

Placing Shazier between Trevathan and Miller would give the Broncos arguably the league’s most athletic and fastest linebacking core.

Alabama’s C.J. Mosley is widely considered the top inside linebacker prospect in the draft as he is projected to go within the top 20.

The next-best inside linebacker comes from a group that includes Shazier, BYU’s Kyle Van Noy, UCLA’s Jordan Zumwalt and Wisconsin’s Chris Borland.

The Broncos have also worked out Ole Miss receiver Donte Montcrief and visited with Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller among other potential prospects for their No. 31 pick.