Quarterback is the No. 1 priority for the Broncos. So John Elway had better find one before the NFL draft. Why? Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is the quickest way back to the playoffs for Denver.

With the No. 5 pick in the first round, Elway’s lone thought should be to take the best football player on the board. Barkley can do what running back Todd Gurley has done for football in Los Angeles and make Denver relevant again in the playoff conversation.

There’s only one prospect worth the trouble and resources Elway would have to commit to trading up the draft board to land. It’s not a quarterback. It’s Barkley. With absolutely no apologies to Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold, they do not have the same Pro Bowl potential as Barkley. He has the legs to take it to the house on any carry and the hands to be a primary receiver on third down.

I get the obsession with the quarterback in Denver. It’s ultimate clickbait. But get over it.

While quarterbacks have ruled the NFL since before Elway laughed all the way to the Hall of Fame, the trend in the league is undeniably toward more smash-mouth football, as you can see every time veteran superstar Drew Brees defers to Alvin Kamara or Mark Ingram down in New Orleans.

Check what Ezekiel Elliott has meant to the development of Dak Prescott in Dallas, and it’s not hard to imagine why Barkley could become the bestie of Tyrod Taylor in Denver, or whichever veteran quarterback the Broncos obtain before the draft.

Yes, I know Elway has said the lone way the Broncos can get better is if they improve at quarterback. But here’s the good news: Finding a better starting quarterback than Trevor Siemian or Brock Osweiler won’t be hard. Among league QBs, they were ranked 36th and 40th, respectively, by those film-grading geeks at Pro Football Focus, behind Brett Hundley and Tom Savage, who ruined the playoff dreams of Green Bay and Houston.

If Washington allows Kirk Cousins to test the free-agent market, all it takes is one greater fool to pay him more than Elway is willing to spend. While I would be surprised if Kansas City can bring back Alex Smith as its starting quarterback after another playoff collapse, it might be even more shocking if the Chiefs agreed to trade Smith within the AFC West.

So navigating the veteran QB market will be tricky for the Broncos, but finding an upgrade is definitely possible, especially if Elway listens to Gary Kubiak, a strong, new voice in Denver’s front office and a longtime admirer of Taylor’s. What makes Taylor appealing? His low interception percentage and 5.5-yard rushing average seem like ideal fits with the clean-football and run-first attack favored by Broncos coach Vance Joseph.

The architects of NFL rosters notoriously overpay at the top of the draft for quarterbacks, whether it’s Mitchell Trubisky or Robert Griffin III. Let’s hope Elway is too smart to make the same mistake. Let some QB-needy franchise jump into the top four slots of the first round to make a high-stakes gamble with the selection of Rosen or Darnold. Related Articles Broncos’ Phillip Lindsay ruled out for Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh as running back deals with toe injury

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If Barkley is available to the Broncos at No. 5, his selection is a no-brainer. It would be the easiest choice for Elway since he picked linebacker Von Miller second overall in 2012.

The main concern for Denver? Despite an obvious need at quarterback for Cleveland and the New York Giants, Barkley’s talent might be too irresistible to let slide to No. 5. Barkley might well not get past Indianapolis, which owns the third pick in the opening round.

Trade up to get Barkley? Would it be wise for Denver to give up assets to obtain Barkley, when the only running backs to be drafted in the top 10 during the past five years are Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Elliott and Gurley?

Only if the Broncos want to make the playoffs next season.