Draft Day is finally here. All of the speculation, rumors, and hand-wringing will come to a resounding resolution in Dallas tonight.

The Denver Broncos are sitting on the fifth overall pick — the highest selection the team has had since 2011 and only the third top-5 pick in the last 30 years. All eyes are on GM John Elway.

Up to this point in the pre-Draft process, Elway has played the league like a maestro. On the surface, the Broncos could use a long-term franchise-caliber QB, but on the flip-side, it’s easy to make the argument that with Case Keenum on board, the team can afford to pass on this deep QB class.

With the lack of an obvious direction the Broncos should go with the fifth overall pick, Elway had an opportunity to leverage Denver’s position in the Draft. The front-office czar has sent out the appropriate smoke signals, showing a strong public interest in the QB class.

After coaching him at the Senior Bowl, there was a full Broncos contingent at Baker Mayfield’s pro day, which seemed to suddenly motivate other teams behind Denver in the Draft — like the New York Jets — to make a move and leap-frog Denver to No. 3. Elway has also shown an appropriate interest in all of the ‘big four’ signal-callers in this class, including Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Josh Allen.

Elway’s maneuverings have helped to create a frenzy at the top of the Draft.

The QB-desperate teams of the NFL, like the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins, have all checked with Elway to see about moving up to pick 5. The Broncos might trade back, but it depends on how the board resolves itself in the top-4 picks.

Buffalo makes the most sense as a trade partner, as they have two first-rounders in 2018, which would not only give the Broncos the shot at two blue-chip players early, but also the fifth-year prerogative on their rookie contracts. That extra year of team control can pay huge dividends down the road, if the right player(s) are selected.

We know the Broncos like Baker Mayfield a lot, and word on the street is that Sam Darnold is the QB Elway is personally pining for. If both QBs are gone before the Broncos go on the clock, it would not surprise me to see Elway trade back and stockpile picks. If the Broncos can get two starters out of the first round, it would be a major coup.

Even if Elway stands pat and takes a player with the fifth overall pick, he will have greatly influenced the way the 2018 Draft shakes out. But if he drafts a player at pick No. 5, it had better be an elite one. New York trading with Indianapolis is an example of how Elway’s maneuverings have reshuffled the deck, but it might not end up being the only one.

Still, all the pre-Draft manipulation will be for naught, if Elway doesn’t bring at least one high-impact player from the first round home to Denver. With how little production the Broncos have received from their last two Draft classes, there are many who doubt Elway’s wherewithal now when it comes to scouting the college ranks.

However, the Broncos have been in a unique position over the last two years, trying to find an organizational identity post-Peyton Manning and it has factored into the Draft malaise. Are they a team still built to compete, simply lacking a competent quarterback?

Or are the Broncos a team rebuilding in the wake of a Hall of Famer caliber QB hanging up his cleats? Denver’s 14-18 record over the last two years would seem to settle that debate.

With organizational clarity — coming to terms with the harsh realities of the state of the roster — and having priorities commensurate with those perhaps bitter truths, I expect Elway to be inspired over the next few days. The Broncos need a 2018 Draft class as impactful as 2011’s and 2012’s were on the destiny of the team and Elway has the means to deliver one.

Tonight, we’ll at least know how the first round resolves for the Broncos. All eyes are on John Elway and the Broncos to see how the veteran GM closes out what has been a whirlwind of a Draft season.