Did the Broncos have their eyes on a different player in the second round?

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Usually, post-draft press conferences are like the first day back at school after Christmas break — Everyone can’t wait to brag and show off their flashy new gifts.

In these press conferences, John Elway and Vance Joseph sit in front of the bright lights with their chests puffed out and sing the praises — as they rightfully should — about their new hundred-thousand dollar additions. As Elway and Joseph do the dance for three consecutive nights, the same jig is being performed at 31 other destinations in the country.

Entering the wee hours of Friday night, however, in the midst of nine minutes and 45 seconds of praising their three new additions, the Denver Broncos’ general manager made a confession that went against the usual script.

When asked if the team decided to forgo drafting an offensive lineman on day two because the value just wasn’t there, Elway said: “We actually thought we had one and it didn’t work out that way. Things happened, so. We didn’t get it.”

Immediately after, Elway began talking about their second-round pick, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, potentially indicating that selection No. 40 overall, could have been where they had their eyes on an offensive lineman.

In the seven picks leading up to Denver’s second-round pick, four offensive linemen were selected: guard Austin Corbett (33), guard Will Hernandez (34), guard Braden Smith (37) and center James Daniels (39).

Because of the plethora of options, there isn’t a direct sign of exactly who their targeted man was. Neither Elway nor head coach Joseph did anything to help out the media in identifying this mystery man.

When asked specifically who the offensive lineman was, the only response from the two men at the podium was a small chuckle followed by an awkward silence which was then followed by a collective laugh with Elway, Joseph and the media.

Real words came moments later when the media tried to juice the two men for more information. They were asked if this mysterious player was still on the board at the end of day two. While the answer was short, it as revealing.

“No… Unfortunately he’s not.”

What seems to be clear is they were after an interior offensive lineman to play opposite Ron Leary at guard.

Earlier in the offseason, head coach Vance Joseph identified Connor McGovern as the early frontrunner to get the starting nod, but also mentioned Menelik Watson, Max Garcia, J.J. Dielman and — most fittingly — a potential draft pick to compete for that position.

There’s still four picks left on the final day of the draft where they can add an offensive lineman, but Elway and Joseph have continually emphasized during this process how day one and day two picks can be immediate starters, not mentioning anything about the third-day additions.

While the specific lineman Denver was after will likely remain a mystery outside of a small contingent of the Broncos’ staff, Friday night it became very clear the team had intentions to continue to work on the trenches.