The best mentor any young NFL quarterback could have can be found hidden in Drew Lock’s cell phone, under the M’s of his contacts list.

So within hours of winning his first start as Broncos quarterback, Lock reached out for sage advice from Peyton Manning about how to earn victory No. 2.

“I texted him Monday, and asked him when would be a good time to talk this week,” Lock told me Wednesday. “Because who better to talk to than Peyton Manning about going on the road in the NFL for the first time? I want to know what little things you can do to have an edge, and maybe mess with the defense a little bit.”

If you want to be a Jedi master, you make an appointment with Yoda. If your dream is to become the next legendary Broncos quarterback, then you could do far worse than commit every piece of wisdom from Manning to memory.

“Being able to have Peyton Manning as a resource, I don’t even think you can put it into words how big it is,” Lock said.

Hey, they don’t call him PFM for nothing. Before LeBron James made himself at home in the Pepsi Center, dismantling the Nuggets on Tuesday night, the King made a point of shaking hands with Manning, who had sweet court-side seats.

Manning is comfortable hanging with sports royalty and the unwashed masses alike. For example: During halftime, as a retired quarterback with two Super Bowl rings scrambled after his daughter down an arena corridor, he graciously paused to say hello to this ink-stained wretch.

Aware that Manning keeps a close eye on the Broncos, I asked his opinion of Lock’s debut, a 23-20 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Rather than mentioning the young quarterback’s touch on two touchdown passes or how Lock bounced back after throwing an interception, I found it interesting what Manning chose to highlight: “It looked like he was having fun out there.”

When I relayed the quickie review from one of the best QBs who has ever lived, a grin filled Lock’s face. Maybe what’s more striking about this 23-year-old Missouri alum than his big arm is the big enthusiasm Lock brings to the Denver huddle.

“I was having a blast,” Lock said. “When you think about the big picture, why did you do all the sprints, why did you do all the private workouts, why did put in so much time learning to play quarterback? It’s to get to the NFL and play. I’m not going to be tight out there on the field. I’m going to go have fun.”

It should be no surprise that among the congratulatory messages Lock received after beating the Chargers was from Archie Manning, patriarch of America’s first family of quarterbacks. Archie made Lock giggle by telling him: “You can’t win them all if you don’t win your first.”

At the Manning Passing Academy, held annually in Louisiana, one of the core values stressed by Peyton, Eli and their father is that playing QB isn’t for the meek. Quarterbacks have to stick together. It’s an elite fraternity, born from the shared experience of men who understand the feeling of getting booed by 70,000 fans who loved them until seconds before throwing that pick-six with the game on the line.

“There’s definitely a brotherhood when it comes to quarterbacks,” Lock said. “Not many people can go into the mind of a quarterback, whether it’s everything that goes into the preparation to play, or how when a game’s going bad, you feel like the whole world is falling down on you. There’s a select few people who can really talk to you about that in a meaningful way.”

That’s why Lock wants PFM as a sounding board. After working as a counselor at the Manning academy during summer break from college, he was welcomed into the family with open arms. The bond only grew stronger when Lock took a job in the same NFL city where Uncle Peyton closed the book on a glorious career by winning Super Bowl 50.

“I text him regularly,” said Manning, who takes as much satisfaction in sending notes of encouragement to quarterbacks in the huddle or children in the hospital as he did throwing any of his 539 career touchdown passes.

For the remainder of this season, Lock will get kudos for leading scoring drives, but it might be more revealing to grade him by how he reacts to the inevitable rookie mistakes.

“Going on the road as a rookie quarterback,” Manning said, “is a whole different deal.”

PFM knows of what he speaks. Way back in 1998, when Manning was a rookie quarterback for Indianapolis, his first road start was at New England. He’ll hate me for reminding him, but the Patriots spanked Manning, who endured the ignominy of three interceptions in a humbling 29-6 loss.

Maybe traveling to Houston will be a more pleasant experience for Lock. Although the first-place Texans are no slouches, Manning said, “Lock gets a little break, because he doesn’t have to face No. 99.”

No. 99 would be Houston defensive end J.J. Watt, who still lurks the dark corners of Manning’s nightmares. But the perennial Pro Bowl defender suffered a season-ending injury in October. While wishing Watt a speedy recovery, Lock admitted: “I would hate playing against Watt, too. Glad I don’t have to.”

Since joining the Broncos as the No. 42 overall pick of the draft, Lock has established a solid rapport with quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney and places his trust in the play-calling of offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.

But when Manning’s digits are in his smart phone, a smart young quarterback should undoubtedly tap PFM’s beautiful mind as a guidebook to navigating the NFL universe.

Lock agrees: “You’d be crazy not to.”