Receiving second-team offensive tackle snaps was considered progress for Elijah Wilkinson just a few months ago. A perceived long-shot to make the Broncos when training camp started, Wilkinson parlayed solid work at tackle into a roster spot ahead of veteran Cyrus Kouandjio.

But Wilkinson will be at right guard in his first NFL start when the Broncos play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Matt Paradis’ season-ending broken leg in Week 9 against Houston meant right guard Conner McGovern slid over to center, creating an opening for Wilkinson.

“It’s an amazing opportunity, to be honest,” Wilkinson said. “(Paradis’ injury) is definitely unfortunate, but I’m proud to be here to step in.”

In a season of young players and journeymen getting chances to start for the Broncos, Wilkinson is the most unlikely story. He played the final 40 snaps against the Texans in Denver’s last game. Per The Denver Post’s game charting, he was booked for one sack (when J.J. Watt swooped inside and won with a bull rush), quarterback hit and “bad” run play apiece. It was enough of a sample for coach Vance Joseph to stick with him.

“It definitely took a couple of plays for me to get my feet under me, but after that, I thought it was smooth sailing and I was just out there playing football,” Wilkinson said.

His road to the Broncos, though, was not nearly as smooth.

Recruiting service 247Sports.com rated Wilkinson as a two-star recruit in the class of 2013. But his biggest issue was in the classroom.

“You can’t get into the big-name programs when you have a terrible GPA,” Wilkinson said. “I had a really bad GPA going into my senior year and I wound up taking all honors classes because I didn’t have time to bump it up with regular classes. I had to buckle down and do it. All of my teachers and guidance counselors and my mom and grandparents kept me straight and made sure I stayed on the (right) path.”

Wilkinson was being recruited by East Coast prep schools such as Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy. But his qualifying scores improved and Wilkinson committed to Massachusetts only three weeks before Signing Day in February 2013.

“A whole bunch of military schools (inquired), but I was like, ‘Man, I’ve already been through hell and back trying to get my GPA up — I’m going to college,’” he said.

At Massachusetts, Wilkinson started 33 games at right tackle over four years. He occasionally practiced at right guard as a reserve option, which gave him a small foundation for the NFL. He earned his degree in sociology in the spring of 2017, when he was shuttling between Indianapolis (where he trained before the draft) and Amherst, Mass., for classes.

Wilkinson said he had a “pretty good idea” he would not be drafted.

“The Broncos were one of the first teams to reach out to me and I really felt comfortable with them,” he said. “Every other team called and would ask, ‘Is this a good (phone) number to reach you during the draft?’ That was pretty much all they said. The Broncos asked about the process, how my body was feeling, how I was doing. That spoke volumes to me.” Related Articles Tom Brady at Mile High: More lows than highs for arguably best-ever NFL quarterback

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Wilkinson signed with the Broncos after the draft, was waived after last year’s training camp, was signed to the practice squad again and then promoted for the final nine games. He started training camp this year on the third team, but quietly passed other players because he could also play guard.

“I played some inside in the preseason, so it’s not a complete shock to be going in at right guard,” he said. “This is why we do those things in the preseason, to get ready in case things happen. It’s definitely different — you’re definitely facing a way bigger guy instead of a quicker and smaller guy. But you focus on the training, trust the details we hone in on during the week and get the job done.”

Said right tackle Jared Veldheer: “We’re excited for him. He jumped in there (during the) last game and did a heck of a job. I know he’s going to build off that.”