Juwann Winfree wondered if his football career might be over.

He had the talent to develop into a star college wide receiver. But multiple violations of team rules at Maryland led to him getting kicked off the team. Then injuries kept setting him back. A year in junior college opened the door for him to get a chance at Colorado in 2016 but soon after Winfree tore an ACL in training camp. Then, as a Buffs senior last season, hamstring-and-ankle injuries sidelined Winfree four games and lingered into the new year.

“I always stay hopeful,” Winfree said. “But at that point, I didn’t know when I would be able to come back.”

One phone call Saturday changed his tune. It was Broncos general manager John Elway informing Winfree that Denver selected him in the sixth round of the NFL draft with the No. 187 overall pick.

“We feel like he’s got some real upside,” Elway said.

Winfree, like former CU teammate Phillip Lindsay, now with the Broncos, did not receive an NFL Scouting Combine invitation. But Winfree moved onto the Broncos’ draft radar with an impressive performance earlier this month at team headquarters, showing off his elite size (6-3, 210) and athleticism. He bonded quickly with Broncos’ wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni.

“I could see I really changed their point of view on me,” Winfree said. “Them seeing me close-up, seeing what type of player I am and what type of man I am off the field was big for me. That definitely helped a lot.”

Winfree’s career CU production doesn’t leap off the page: 49 catches for 649 yards and four touchdowns. Yet Elway traded a pair of draft picks, Nos. 212 and 237, to Carolina to move up in the sixth round and pull Winfree from the board.

“We had heard that other teams were interested,” Elway said. “When you get there late in the draft and we had him targeted … fortunately we had a trade partner in Carolina and were able to get up and get him.”

Winfree aims to prove Elway made the right call.

“I’m just blessed that I have an opportunity right up the road; I don’t have to go far,” Winfree said. “I thank the Broncos for believing in me.”

Johnson to Minnesota. Colorado State wide receiver Olabisi Johnson was selected No. 247 overall in the seventh round by the Minnesota Vikings.

Johnson, who had 125 catches for 2,019 yards and 11 touchdowns over four college seasons, was the only Rams player selected. Johnson had a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine and told The Denver Post in February: “I definitely pride myself in my consistency and durability. I’m going to catch anything that comes my way as long as it’s in my frame.”

The Vikings also drafted Air Force long snapper Austin Cutting with pick No. 250.