ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — John Elway gave Joe Flacco just what he wanted, a threat to stretch the field, not take his job. The Denver Broncos general manager selected Iowa tight end Noah Fant with the 20th pick Thursday night, bypassing a quarterback in the first round of the NFL draft.

Elway, who gained an extra second-round pick by trading down 10 spots, said he didn’t consider taking a QB at 10 or 20, much to the surprise of all those prognosticators whose mock drafts had him enamored with Michigan State’s Drew Lock — who’s still on the board heading into Round 2 Friday. “No, no we didn’t,” Elway said. “It was not in the discussion when we got there.”

Fant and T.J. Hockenson, selected eighth by the Detroit Lions, became the first tight end teammates ever selected in the first round of the same draft. “It’s amazing to have those two great tight ends at the same school,” Elway said. Fant said at the NFL scouting combine, where he outperformed Hockenson in almost every measurement, that he wanted to be the first tight end taken in the draft. But he said he was OK going a dozen spots after Hockenson because he was “super excited, super stoked” to join the Broncos.

“And I would argue that I’m in the best situation for a tight end in this draft,” he said. Fant joins a young offense featuring second-year receiver Courtland Sutton and a tight end corps loaded with Big Ten alumni in Jake Butt, Jeff Heuerman and Troy Fumagalli, all coming off injuries.L