This week’s NFL draft will unfold differently than Max Browne anticipated two years ago.

While 22 college players and their families gather for the first round of the draft on Thursday night inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Browne will be situated more than 2,000 miles away from the festive scene at his parents’ home in Sammamish, Wash.

Sam Darnold, his former USC teammate, is a top quarterback prospect and is expected to be taken among the first picks. After the selection, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will greet Darnold on a makeshift stage at midfield of the mammoth stadium in front of about 20,000 fans.

Darnold might be drafted as high as first overall.

Later in the evening, Browne will begin an online final exam for a corporate finance class. He is one semester shy of completing USC’s MBA program.

The scenario has changed.

“It’s funny, because you kind of look back on it, it’s the spot I envisioned myself in,” Browne said last week in a phone interview when asked about Darnold’s pending selection. “Those feelings come up, and I think that’s kind of natural. But at the end of the day, I’m stoked for him and the opportunity he has. Great dude. He deserves everything he has ahead of him.”

The paths of the former teammates are intertwined.

On the final day of August training camp in 2016, Browne edged Darnold as the Trojans’ starting quarterback, ending a tight competition. It was his chance after sitting behind Cody Kessler for three seasons.

Browne’s stint lasted three games.

Following a 1-2 start, the program’s first in 15 seasons, Darnold replaced Browne. USC then won nine of 10 games, including a Rose Bowl, sparked by Darnold, who became a national sensation and rising pro prospect.

In the aftermath of the shakeup, Browne departed as a graduate transfer to Pittsburgh for his final season of eligibility.

The quarterbacks keep in touch. Browne said he and Darnold exchange text messages.

As Darnold vies for the top selection, Browne holds more modest draft goals, aiming primarily for an invitation to an NFL team’s rookie minicamp next month in an effort to ignite his pro career. He plans to watch the final rounds of the draft Saturday with heightened interested.

The track record for Browne as a college passer, though, is limited, leaving teams’ talent evaluators with little to evaluate.

Browne started eight games in his college career at Pittsburgh and USC.

As a starter, Browne threw for 1,383 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions, completing 144 of 212 passes (67.9 percent). He was 3-5 as a starter.

Bad luck often seemed to befall Browne. Four college starts came against ranked teams, including top-ranked Alabama in 2016 and eighth-ranked Penn State in 2017, affording little time to settle into the role.

After the most productive game of his college career last September, when he completed 87.5 percent of his passes for 410 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in a rout of Rice, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury the following week against Syracuse, also ending his college career.

Browne was the reigning Gatorade national player of the year when he arrived at USC in 2013 and the top-ranked high school quarterback in the nation. The pedigree might lead to some intrigue in NFL front offices.

“I don’t think it’s a huge factor, but I think it is a factor,” Browne said. “Yeah, at a point in time, I was the top dog. College-wise, it didn’t all pan out for me, but it shows the talent is there. It’s just a matter of things coming together.”

It is possible Browne gets a shot. Of the 11 previously top-ranked prep quarterbacks in Rivals.com’s database, eight were drafted, and of the three who went undrafted, two signed with NFL teams for offseason camps.

In recent weeks, a “handful” of NFL teams have contacted Browne, he said. The quarterback was also among local prospects to work out for the Seattle Seahawks last week at their facility in Renton, Wash. He took part in Pitt’s pro day last month, as well.

But Browne has further been limited in workouts, unable to throw for teams while his shoulder continues to heal.

He said he cannot throw past 35 yards nor throw with the velocity needed to connect with receivers running routes during a typical passing session.

“If I went out there and just threw the ball around at the beach, I can do that,” Browne said, “but there’s obviously a difference between that and NFL-level throws.”

His recovery from surgery has not involved setbacks over the past six months, but he estimates he remains a month away from being able to throw for teams.

Most workouts have involved a series of on-field drills, including the 40-yard dash. He ran 5.03 seconds at his pro-day workout.

“One of the hardest parts has been that I’m full-go on everything else,” Browne said. “I can go out, do a normal workout, not think about anything. Run and jump and lift. I’ve been able to do that for a few months now. I almost feel full strength, but at the same time, I can’t do the one thing I need to do.”

Browne will again need to wait.