Devontae Booker sat right outside the hospital room door with his legs shaking, hands sweating and heart pounding. He was overwhelmed with an anticipation that was far greater than he experiences when going head to head with a 250-pound linebacker on fourth-and-goal.

Inside the room, Booker’s first-born son, Daeshon, was making his grand entrance into the world. On first sight, it was like the new dad saw a clone. He couldn’t speak. His heart fluttered, his eyes softened and he experienced a feeling he never felt before.

“Ever since he was born, he just changed my whole life,” Booker said of his now 3-year-old. “All my priorities changed. It wasn’t about me anymore. It was about him.”

At the time, Booker was in a period of transition. Academics held him back from making a leap to the University of Utah in 2013 after two years of going to school in Sacramento, Calif., at American River College. He didn’t play that year. He still had NFL dreams, but realities of his older age and classroom struggles allowed doubt to creep in.

When Daeshon arrived, all that dissipated. Dreams became plans. With Booker possessing a talented skill set and a rejuvenated mind, the buzz of potential around Broncos camp has many believing the 24-year-old running back, picked late in the fourth round in April, will be the steal of the draft.

The typically quiet, unassuming Booker breaks out of his shell immediately when speaking about family — the most important core value to him. It’s one of the few times you see him crack a smile.

On the field, it’s all business. He sticks to himself and speaks only when he’s spoken to. He wins teammates and coaches over with his work ethic.

And maybe most important for fellow running back C.J. Anderson, he manned his rookie responsibility of carrying the veterans’ pads off the field at the end of practice without much of a fuss.

The 13th grade

One of the most startling facts in the Broncos’ running back room is that fifth-year pro Ronnie Hillman and Booker are the same age. Teammates have joked about it with them all camp.

Age is rarely on a running back’s side, but Booker’s winding journey to the Broncos might benefit him more than being a couple of years younger.

Booker grew up in Del Paso Heights, one of the most crime-ridden and poverty-stricken neighborhoods in North Sacramento, and attended Grant Union High School. He was the youngest of three brothers, each six years apart, living with his parents.

“We were pretty much a low-class family. We lived in a low-class neighborhood,” Booker said. “There was a lot of killing, gang violence. Sports kept me out of that stuff.”

When time came to choose a college, he couldn’t qualify academically after committing to both Washington State and Fresno State. He couldn’t play Division I-A football. He considered giving it all up and finding a job, but his family talked him out of it. He had to go to junior college.

“It felt like I was going to be in the 13th grade,” Booker said.

“He was a little frustrated, and it was a little bit of a culture shock. He came in a little bit with the ‘I’m the big man on campus’ attitude,” American River coach Jon Osterhout said. “But once he got in here and realized we were all about football, it really allowed him to flourish and get that second chance to succeed.”

Osterhout went out of the way to return the favor, calling coaches across the country after Booker’s time at American River to sell them on an older back with academic struggles. Osterhout told them about Booker’s talent as an every-down back who reminded him of Miam Dolphins running back Arian Foster.

Utah and coach Kyle Whittingham found a Heisman Trophy candidate in the process.

“It was well worth the wait,” Whittingham said. “He’s right up there with some of the greatest backs that have come through our program.”

Unfamiliar territory.

The night of Nov. 14 still makes Booker shake his head.

A double-overtime loss at Arizona that took the Utes out of the college playoff picture. For Booker, it ended in a torn left meniscus and bone bruise that ended his college career and put his NFL future in flux.

“It was a big blow to the team, but he handled it well,” Whittingham said. “He didn’t sulk or say ‘Why me?’ ”

Internally, Booker was dealing with a lot of mental stress. It was his first injury. It caused him to miss the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine. He was on crutches for a month and a half, and after that, he had to learn to walk again. At times, he wanted to quit.

But after two surgeries and months of rehabilitation, Booker is full go in Broncos training camp, pushing the veterans and making his claim for serious playing time. He’s the co-No.2 running back along with Hillman on the depth chart.

“He works hard in the classroom. He’s learned everything. You’re starting to see what he can do,” Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville said. “He can do a lot of things — run, pass protect, catch out of the backfield — so yeah, I’d play him right now.”

The preseason will be the perfect chance for Booker to showcase his vision, one-step cuts and hands.

“Everybody wants to see what I bring to the table,” Booker said. “And we’ll just find out here shortly.”

Tracking Devontae Booker’s journey to Denver with facts and stats

— He ran for 4,734 yards and 81 touchdowns, with an average of 10.8 yards per carry, in his two seasons at Grant High School in Sacramento, Calif.

— Booker can throw the ball 70 yards, according to American River College coach Jon Osterhout.

— Booker played on every special-teams unit at American River, including kick return, where he scored two touchdowns

— Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, on Booker: “I’ve never seen a running back catch the ball out of the backfield like him.”

— He was the first of three Booker brothers to graduate from college (sociology), which is one of the main reasons he stayed at Utah for his senior year.

Booker, on graduating from college: “All the adversity I been through, getting that degree was the icing on the cake.”