ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Plays made on special teams that can tip the scales of an NFL game are often called "hidden" yardage.

For the Denver Broncos, that yardage has been hidden like a Yeti in the Bermuda Triangle next to the Fountain of Youth. Finding that yardage has been a quest that has gone largely unfulfilled in recent seasons, and this year’s draft class was built to try to fix it.

"Well, I think that was one thing that we wanted to do going into this draft," said John Elway, president of football operations/general manager. "We concentrated on guys that could play their position very well, but also be contributors on special teams, and then we wanted to find some returners."

Oh, did they want to find some returners. Their longest punt return last season was 25 yards, and their best kickoff returner -- Cody Latimer -- averaged just 25.0 yards per return, which was 38th among those who had enough work to qualify in the league's rankings.

In 2015, the Broncos didn’t have a kickoff returner average more than 23.1 yards. Though Omar Bolden had an 83-yard punt return for a score, he returned just five punts that season and no other punt returner had a return longer than 14 yards. In 2014, the Broncos didn’t have a punt return longer than 22 yards, and the team hasn’t had a kickoff return for a touchdown since 2013.

This year, new Broncos special teams coach Brock Olivo said the units were important "because they can turn games with one play, and they can position your offense -- in the return game -- with a short field to score some points."

That is all true, but the Broncos have done little of it in recent seasons -- especially in the return game. Bolden flashed potential, but didn’t stay healthy.

It's why, as the Broncos worked their way through the second and third days of the draft last weekend, special teams was on the front burner. Elway has always preferred avoiding a return specialist on the roster. He covets players who can contribute at a position on game day and also return.

Trindon Holliday had plenty of impact as a returner in his tenure with the Broncos (2012-13), but he played little on offense. When he no longer consistently caught the ball in the kicking game, the Broncos moved on. In this year’s draft class, receivers Carlos Henderson and Isaiah McKenzie, and cornerback Brendan Langley all have return potential.

Henderson figures to get plenty of work as a slot receiver and was one of the best kickoff returners on the board. He averaged 32.2 yards per kickoff return at Louisiana Tech last season, including two for touchdowns. He also had three seasons of at least 18.7 yards per catch, and had 19 receiving touchdowns last season. Also last season, he had a 232-yard receiving game and a 326-yard receiving game in back-to-back weeks.

"Wherever, they decide to put me, I can play outside and I can play inside," Henderson said. "It’s just wherever the team decides. Wherever they’re going to put me at, I’m going to work on that spot 100 percent."

McKenzie was one of the fastest players in the draft and had six return touchdowns -- five punt and one kickoff -- in his career at Georgia. Though he’s undersized -- he’s just over 5-foot-7 and weighed 173 pounds at the scouting combine -- Elway believes McKenzie can contribute as a receiver.

"We think that he can do a lot," Elway said. "He can carry the ball. He'll probably be a fifth (wide receiver) that can do a lot of things on the offensive side, so that's a luxury to have. ... To be able to have a guy that can do as many things as he can do with that speed was very valuable to us."

Langley is a raw player, both as a cornerback and a punt returner, but his athleticism is elite. Last season at Lamar he averaged 11.7 yards per punt return with two touchdowns.

He might not find a way into the Broncos' plans at returner this season, but they see him as a player with big potential for the role.

"I'm excited about that," Elway said. "We've added some real speed to the football team."