ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- It is the oldest of decisions in the NFL draft, the case for college production against pro potential.

And it is why every year, some of college football’s most notable and successful players wait far longer than many expect to hear their names called while players with only a handful of starts on their respective resumes come flying off the board.

“It's all part of the equation, and so each equation is a little bit different," said John Elway, Broncos executive vice president of football operations/general manager. “When we're getting close to our pick and we're discussing the different guys that we may take at that pick, production has a lot to do with it. If you can get production, talent, speed and size with it, it makes your decision a heck of a lot easier. It gets more difficult the deeper you get into the draft because now all of the sudden there are bigger holes or more holes in different players, so you've got to figure out what characteristics do you like the best? And which ones can we coach the best, the coach help him with and solve for him?"

For the Denver Broncos, no player might represent that production-potential decision more than cornerback Brendan Langley. Langley spent two years at Georgia, where he started his career as a wide receiver, and had just four tackles in limited duty in the 2014 season to go with 12 tackles in the 2013 season.

He then transferred to Lamar, where in his one season -- 2016 -- he had 43 tackles, six interceptions and scored two touchdowns on punt returns. For the most part that was his college football resume, save for those smattering of plays at Georgia before he transferred.

But Langley also happens to be 6-feet, ¼-inch tall and 201 pounds, which made him one of the biggest cornerbacks in the draft, and he ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the combine. And in a league where that profile on a defensive back is difficult to find, that easily trumped his lack of experience.

The Broncos made Langley the 101st pick of the draft -- the 37th player picked in the third round. And that put Langley ahead of a long list of cornerbacks and safeties who had played on far bigger stages in far more high-profile programs.

“As a corner he’s raw, but he’s 6-feet tall, 200 pounds and runs a 4.4," Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. “... And those things are there for him. It’ll take some time for him, but he’s got a high ceiling."

Langley’s potential to grow as a player with that rare athleticism made him a better prospect than many others. The Broncos also have two All-Pro cornerbacks in Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib to go with Bradley Roby, who would be a starter for many teams in the league, so the Broncos won’t feel compelled to rush Langley.

“Brendan is really raw, but he’s got great speed and is going to take some time," Elway said. “He’ll learn from the best corners in the league that we have here, so we’re really excited about him."

The Broncos, who brought Langley in for one of their pre-draft visits, have come to like his swagger and believe that, too, would help him through the inevitable rough spots on the learning curve. The Broncos have four starters in the secondary who have played in the Pro Bowl in the last two seasons, so it’s not a place for the thin-skinned.

“That room, a player needs to have that confidence or he’s going to have a hard time," Joseph said. “[Langley] has it to go with everything else."

“I don’t know exactly how it went," Langley said of his pre-draft visit. “I guess it went well, talking with all the coaches and stuff. I was just myself. I didn’t want to come in and try and make too much of an impression and be out of my element. I was just myself. I talked a lot about football and a lot about life."

In some ways the Broncos' first-round pick -- tackle Garett Bolles -- also fits the potential-over-production mold, given that he played just one season at Utah after his transfer from Snow College.

“Like all these kids, it’s going to take them all a little bit of time," Elway said. “They’ll all get better. As we talked about, we don’t draft All-Pros, but we hopefully can coach them there. That’s [Joseph’s] job."