INDIANAPOLIS — Justin Simmons never really talked to the Broncos. It was early 2016, the time when hundreds of NFL hopefuls go through the annual gamut of all-star games and pro days for a shot at the next level.



Simmons, a former safety out of Boston College, was among them. Another number in the crowd.



At the NFL combine that year, Simmons’ number was 50. But his 40-inch leap and his times in the other drills were the numbers that stuck out the most with the decision-makers at the Broncos’ headquarters.



The team used one of its compensatory third-round picks to draft him that year. Yet its only interaction with him in the months prior was a four-word question from a scout.



“He came up to me and said, ‘Is this information correct?'” Simmons recalled Wednesday during our interview for the latest episode of “Mile High Magic.” “I looked it over and said, ‘Yep,’ and then he left.