Peyton Manning waved. And the crowd of 49,360 at Coors Field for the home opener went wild. Manning pointed to the Rockies cap on his head, and I immediately thought: “Hey, there’s the best thrower to ever wear the interlocking ‘C’ and ‘R’ in the history of a pitching-poor franchise.”

Not far from where Manning took in the baseball game, there was Broncos general manager John Elway, sitting in the box seats near the visitors dugout, bearing witness to the magic that is rookie Trevor Story. And I immediately thought: “Hey, shouldn’t Elway be out shopping for a quarterback to replace Manning, rather than buying some peanuts or Cracker Jack?”

But, on second thought, Mr. Elway can relax.

I have already found the next quarterback of the Broncos. I shook his hand in California on Feb. 5, two days before Denver beat Carolina in Super Bowl 50.

The first words Paxton Lynch spoke to me were “Growing up, I always had the dream of playing in the NFL.” As Lynch explained his transformation from a gangly prep running back to one of the hottest prospects in the draft, I immediately thought: “This guy is the spitting image of Brock Osweiler, and Elway would love him.”

Lo and behold, the Broncos have scheduled a predraft interview with Lynch, who threw for 3,778 yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior for the Memphis Tigers. He stands 6-foot-7 and could wear the same suits as Osweiler. But that’s where the similarities end. Lynch is more athletic and has a stronger arm than Osweiler, who bolted Denver for Houston, leaving Elway in a mad scramble for a quarterback.

We all know Elway is good at scrambling. But his choices to be the QB for the Broncos in 2016? Not so good.

If Colin Kaepernick of San Francisco was really any good, wouldn’t Elway offer him more than pennies on the dollar? Kaepernick is a used car, with a dented ego and a body requiring major repairs. I don’t deny there’s value for the Broncos in Kaepernick as a reclamation project. But he’s only worth taking a chance on at a bargain-basement price.

Mark Sanchez can win 10 games as the starter in Denver. At a charity breakfast for the Boy Scouts in Denver last week, however, I heard Broncos coach Gary Kubiak work so hard at praising the recently acquired Sanchez that I nearly spit out my coffee.

On his last legs as an NFL quarterback, Manning suffered his worst season in 2015, with a quarterback rating of 67.9. The last time Sanchez started more than half the games in a season for an NFL team was in 2012, with the New York Jets. His QB rating was 66.9.

And then there are the recent Johnny Manziel rumors linking Johnny Football to the Broncos, which can be dismissed in three words: Dumbest. Idea. Ever.

Until October, when Lynch led Memphis to a 37-24 upset victory against Mississippi with 384 yards passing, he was flying under the radar.

“That’s when the buzz really started happening. After that, it got kind of crazy,” Lynch told me.

He will be drafted in the first round. If the Broncos want Lynch, they will have to trade up, perhaps as high as No. 15 overall. That move wouldn’t come cheap. Would Lynch be worth the cost?

Well, here’s the thing worth remembering about him. As a former running back who outgrew the position as a teenager, Lynch likes to run with the football. But rather than taking off and running at the first sign of trouble, in the manner of Robert Griffin or Kaepernick, what Lynch does is extend pass plays with his feet. That’s a major reason he has a chance to develop into an NFL quarterback who can lead a team on deep playoff runs.

“Paxton is part of the new mold of huge quarterbacks who also have the athletic ability to escape the pocket. You look at Cam Newton, Blake Bortles and Ben Roeth lisberger. Paxton presents an overwhelming package, and I believe he is a franchise quarterback,” said agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents Lynch.

Is Lynch a sure bet to succeed at the NFL level? No way. I can’t make you that guarantee. And I can’t see him as a starter in 2016. But properly groomed, Lynch could be the starting quarterback in Denver through 2026.

Does Lynch give the Broncos more to work with than Kaepernick or Sanchez? There’s no doubt. This is the gamble worth taking by Elway.

Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or @markkiszla