While it’s unlikely Sylvester Williams will ever land a job as a swimsuit model, this wide-body, 313-pound defensive tackle looked real sexy to the Broncos.

“We were thrilled he was there,” Broncos executive John Elway said Thursday, after plucking Williams out of North Carolina in the latter stages of the NFL draft’s opening round.

Give the Broncos a grade of A for their selection of Williams.

Fans always want a sexy name in the draft. A name with the ooh and ah factor of Eddie Lacy, running back from Alabama. Maybe the rock-solid Williams should ask to be called “Sly,” so he would sound a little more Hollywood to Broncomaniacs.

Denver had needs at cornerback, running back and defensive end. Elway, however, stuck to the oh-so-hard-to-follow philosophy of taking the best player available. That is precisely how elite teams that draft at the back end of the first round stay elite season after season.

The selection of Williams was no big surprise. In their obsession with upside and fluid hips, here’s what many draft geeks ignore during analysis: The individual tastes of teams doing the picking.

Just as a quarterback has pet plays when he needs a third-down conversion, every NFL front office displays tendencies in talent procurement. Too many draftniks act like wanna-be general managers, instead of studying the habits and personal preferences of team honchos who actually make the selections.

Elway likes an active debate among his scouts and coaches about prospects. And anybody who knows Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio understands he has an eye for defensive linemen who might not look good in a Speedo on the beach, but have the ample rump and thick thighs to plow through all the debris in the trenches.

There was an unexpectedly high number of intriguing prospects on the board when it was Denver’s turn to select in the opening round.

The Broncos could have made bigger headlines at No. 28. But would they’ve gotten a better player than Williams?

Denver needs another running back, and Lacy of national champion Alabama was there for the taking. But here’s the truth: The Broncos were never 100 percent sold on Lacy as the heir apparent to Willis McGahee. That became even more obvious Friday, when the Broncos selected bruising Wisconsin running back Montee Ball with their second-round pick at No. 58. And, yes, Lacy was still available. It wasn’t until pick No. 61 that the ‘Bama back was taken, by the Green Bay Packers.

Manti Te’o could have been a member of the Broncos. But Denver passed on the Notre Dame linebacker and his imaginary girlfriend, in part, because a team with Super Bowl aspirations did not think the talent of Te’o outweighed the circus that would accompany him to town. The San Diego Chargers ended up taking Te’o with the 38th overall pick.

In fact, the linebacker who presented Denver the toughest choice at No. 28 was Alec Ogletree of Georgia. In the end, however, his obvious athleticism was overshadowed by unflattering character reports that eventually caused Ogletree to slide all the way to No. 30, where the St. Louis Rams took a chance on him.

How good can Williams be for the Broncos? Elway felt comfortable comparing the rookie to Trevor Pryce, who made the Pro Bowl four times and won the Super Bowl twice during a 14-year NFL career with Denver, Baltimore and the New York Jets.

“I tell you: I hope he has the career that Trevor had,” Elway said.

Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053, mkiszla@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/markkiszla