Chad Kelly picked by Broncos as 'Mr. Irrelevant' in NFL draft

Chad Kelly’s draft slide ended with the final pick.

The former Mississippi quarterback (and the nephew of Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly) was selected Satruday by the Denver Broncos with pick No. 253 – making Kelly the 2017 draft’s "Mr. Irrelevant."

Kelly fell into the seventh round – and nearly out of the draft – because of injury and off-field concerns. Kelly suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in November, and then had to have surgery on his right wrist earlier this month. He was dismissed from Clemson earlier in his college career, and was arrested after a bar fight in Buffalo in 2014.

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Elway said his vetting process included calling Jim Kelly, a longtime NFL peer dating back to the 1983 draft, in which they were both part of perhaps the greatest quarterback draft class ever.

“I called his uncle and he said he’s a good kid. I trust Jim on that,” Elway said, adding that he was surprised that Kelly was still available to take with the draft’s final pick. “I have full of confidence Chad’s going to come here and understand the situation he’s in.”

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph called Kelly his favorite quarterback in the 2017 draft class, in part because of two performances against Alabama. Mississippi beat Alabama in 2015 and lost 48-43 in 2016.

The Broncos went into the draft looking to add a late-round quarterback, and picking Kelly in the seventh-round is a low-risk move. As 2016 starter Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, last year’s first-round pick, battle for the starting job, Kelly will be able to heal and learn in 2017.

Elway said he believes Kelly won’t be able to participate in Broncos practices until at least August, and the team will sign another quarterback – likely an undrafted player – to participate in organized team activities until Kelly is cleared to throw.

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

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