Finally, we’re just about 15 minutes away from the start of the 2012 NFL Draft.

It’s been a long day of anticipation, and it might get a little longer with the Broncos not set to pick until No. 25. But from past experience, when the draft gets going, it tends to go more quickly than originally anticipated.

Stay tuned to this blog — the plan is to keep it updated pick-by-pick until the Broncos are on the clock. At that point, we’ll turn our focus to providing as much content as possible on the player the Broncos select, including a top story, photo gallery, quotes from the pick, audio of his conference call and plenty more.

Head Coach John Fox is expected to meet the media at the end of the first round, and we’ll have coverage of that as well, including a live stream of the press conference.

5:52 p.m. MDT: Broncos TV’s Chris Hall and team photographer Eric Lars Bakke are down the hall outside the team’s draft war room — or “The Cave,” as Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway calls it — and we’ll have an exclusive inside look at the room when the draft begins shortly.

5:55 p.m. MDT: Here in the team media draft room, we’ve got computers set up, the TV tuned to NFL Network and, unfortunately, very few snacks. We’re about five minutes away from the start of the draft, and there’s certainly an excitement inside Dove Valley.

6:05 p.m. MDT: Here we go, the draft is underway, and we already know Stanford QB Andrew Luck will be the first overall selection. In fact, he’s already on the phone with Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. The Washington Redskins are now on the clock.

6:10 p.m. MDT: Looks like the Washington pick is in — and it’s expected to be Baylor QB Robert Griffin III. Here comes NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and he announces the pick. After trading with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this afternoon to move up a spot, the Cleveland Browns are on the clock.

6:16 p.m. MDT: Supposedly Cleveland turned in its pick before RG3 even stepped on stage. If it’s as expected, Alabama running back Trent Richardson will be headed to the Browns. Well, here’s Goodell — and the pick is Richardson. The Minnesota Vikings are on the clock.

6:25 p.m. MDT: Looks like USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil is headed to Minnesota at pick No. 4 — and Goodell is now on stage to make it official. Things moving fast and furious now, and it appears even both television broadcasts are behind!

6:26 p.m. MDT: Kalil gets a hug from his brother, Panthers Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil, before heading up on stage. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ pick is in, after trading with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the selection. So that’s three trades in the top five picks — Washington traded up for RG3, Cleveland traded up for Richardson and we’ll see who it is Jacksonville traded up for, reportedly giving up a fourth-round pick in addition to swapping first-rounders with the Bucs.

6:30 p.m. MDT: Jacksonville takes Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon at No. 5, and it looks like yet another trade — the Dallas Cowboys have moved up to No. 6, swapping first-rounders with the St. Louis Rams and giving up an additional second-rounder, according to NFL Network.

6:34 p.m. MDT: From the looks of the Cowboys war room on NFL Network, Dallas’ pick is in. Waiting for the official announcement from Goodell…

6:35 p.m. MDT: The Dallas Cowboys select LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, and the Bucs are now on the clock.

6:37 p.m. MDT: Chris is back from the war room — and Broncos TV now gives you an exclusive look inside the room with Denver’s decision-makers.

6:42 p.m. MDT: Goodell is on stage to announce Tampa’s pick, and the Miami Dolphins are on the clock — reportedly considering the third quarterback of the night, Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill. The Buccaneers have taken Alabama safety Mark Barron.

6:46 p.m. MDT: According to NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, it will be Tannehil at No. 8 to Miami, and Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox to Carolina at No. 9. Both picks are already in, but Miami’s selection has yet to be officially announced.

6:48 p.m. MDT: And there it is, Goodell announces that it’s Tannehill to Miami and that Carolina is on the clock. We’ll see if it’s Cox, who would be the first defensive tackle off the board, shortly.

6:52 p.m. MDT: The Panthers’ official Twitter account has announced the selection — it’s Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly. And the Buffalo Bills are on the clock — who reportedly have already turned in their pick, and are picking South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore — we’ll see if that becomes official, as Cox didn’t end up in Carolina as was originally speculated.

6:56 p.m. MDT: The Buffalo Bills have selected Gilmore after all, and it’s the first time an AFC West team has been on the clock — the Kansas City Chiefs are up next. At the start of the night, I predicted the Broncos selection wouldn’t be announced until after 9:30 p.m. tonight. At this rate, looks like I was a little off — this round is MOVING.

7:01 p.m. MDT: The Chiefs have gone defensive line — Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe. Other than the trades, could that be declared as the first surprise of the first round? Everyone seemed to think Cox would be the first defensive tackle off the board…

Now it’s Seattle on the clock — wait, the Philadelphia Eagles have traded for the No. 12 pick. NFL Network is saying it could be Cox with the very next pick. Philadelphia originally had pick No. 15, and NFL Network is saying they traded a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder to the Seahawks to move up.

7:09 p.m. MDT: NFL Network talking like the Cox to Philadelphia pick is official — and here’s Goodell with the announcement. It is Cox after all. That’s back-to-back defensive tackles off the board, and the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock at No. 13.

7:15 p.m. MDT: Arizona’s pick is in. While we’re waiting on the official announcement, here’s a photo from the war room, and you can check out a look inside the room from Broncos TV here.

7:16 p.m. MDT: Arizona has selected Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd, pairing him with Larry Fitzgerald. The St. Louis Rams, who originally had the No. 2 overall selection before trading with the Washington Redskins and then the Dallas Cowboys, are on the clock at No. 14.

7:24 p.m. MDT: The Rams’ pick is in — reportedly LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers. That ends a few mock drafts’ predictions of him falling to the Broncos at No. 25. We’ll see if that’s officially the pick as soon as Commissioner Goodell hits the stage. Here he comes — and it’s official. The Seattle Seahawks are on the clock after their trade with Philadelphia.

7:28 p.m. MDT: The Seahawks owner is tweeting that Seattle is taking West Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin. And here comes the commissioner — it’s official. That could certainly be described as a surprise as well, at least based on mock drafts. The New York Jets are now on the clock, and the rapid pace of this draft continues.

7:35 p.m. MDT: The Jets’ pick is in. It’s North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples. That means the Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock at No. 17. As we’re getting closer to Denver’s pick (No. 25), Broncos TV’s Chris Hall is down the hall near the war room again, and he’ll try to capture footage of Elway on the phone with Denver’s pick after the Broncos’ selection is in. Trying to get you as much exclusive coverage inside the building as we can. Excitement is certainly up, and it’s gotten pretty quiet around here as everyone is hard at work.

7:44 p.m. MDT: The Bengals have selected Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick — the third member of the Crimson Tide’s national championship squad taken so far this round. Now the second AFC West squad of the night is on the clock — the San Diego Chargers at No. 18.

7:50 p.m. MDT: Looks like Chargers have taken South Carolina defensive end/outside linebacker Melvin Ingram. Goodell announcement makes it official. So both AFC West squads went defensive line — Peyton Manning effect? Chicago is on the clock at No. 19.

7:56 p.m. MDT: The Chicago Bears’ pick is in — and it’s Boise State defensive end/outside linebacker Shea McClellin. That’s back-to-back pass rushers. And the Tennessee Titans are on the clock at No. 20. We’re in the 20s…getting closer…

7:59 p.m. MDT: McClellin at No. 19 is the second-highest a Boise State player has been taken — behind Denver’s Ryan Clady, who went No. 12 in 2008. The Titans pick is in — and meanwhile the Cincinnati Bengals have swapped first-round picks with the New England Patriots, who will now pick No. 21. The Bengals now pick No. 27 and got a third-rounder in the deal.

8:03 p.m. MDT: The Titans have selected Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright, and reports are that New England’s pick is already in and will be Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones. We’ll see when Goodell heads back to the podium.

8:09 p.m. MDT: New England’s pick is in and it’s officially Jones. Now, Cleveland has selected Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden will go to Cleveland at No. 22. Supposedly Iowa offensive tackle Reily Reiff will go to Detroit at No. 23 — but that is not official yet. We’ll see as this develops. Regardless, Denver’s pick is coming shortly.

8:15 p.m. MDT: Detroit’s selection of Reiff is official — the Lions Twitter account announced it. Supposedly the Steelers’ pick is in, and the Broncos have traded their pick to the New England Patriots, according to NFL Network. That would put Denver’s selection at No. 31 overall.

8:18 p.m. MDT: With the 24th pick, the Steelers have selected Stanford guard David DeCastro. The Broncos would be on the clock, but it appears the trade with New England is official — NFL Network shows the Patriots on the clock. We will bring you any official word on the trade as we receive it.

8:21 p.m. MDT: The Broncos received an additional fourth-round pick in addition to swapping picks with the Patriots to No. 31 in the first round. The Patriots have selected Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower at No. 25. Denver now has eight picks in the draft, including three selections in the fourth round.

8:26 p.m. MDT: The Houston Texans have selected Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus with the No. 26 overall selection. Cincinnati is now on the clock at No. 27. Here’s a link to a little more information about the Broncos’ draft-day trade.

8:32 p.m. MDT: Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler is headed to Cincinnati, and the Green Bay Packers are on the clock at No. 28.

8:37 p.m. MDT: With the 28th pick, Green Bay selects USC defensive end Nick Perry. Baltimore is on the clock — well, now it appears Minnesota has traded for that pick, No. 29.

8:42 p.m. MDT: Minnesota’s pick is in, after trading their second-round pick and a fourth-rounder to move into Baltimore’s spot — and they take Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith. San Francisco is on the clock at No. 30, one pick before the Broncos at No. 31.

8:45 p.m. MDT: Looks like San Fran’s pick is in and the Broncos are now on the clock. We’ll let you know when the picks are announced.

8:46 p.m. MDT: According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, the Broncos have traded out of the No. 31 spot with Tampa Bay. It could mean the Broncos now hold the fourth selection in tomorrow’s second round — we’ll let you know the terms shortly. Adam Schefter says Denver has traded No. 31 and No. 126 (fourth round) to Tampa Bay for the fourth pick in the second round (No. 36) and No. 101 (fourth round).

8:49 p.m. MDT: Looks like San Francisco has taken Illinois wide receiver A.J. Jenkins at No. 30, and Tampa Bay will select Boise State running back Doug Martin at No. 31.

8:59 p.m. MDT: The first round of the 2012 NFL Draft is coming to a close with the New York Giants selecting at No. 32 overall. Here’s more information on the Broncos’ latest trade.

9:03 p.m. MDT: The Giants’ pick is in, and it’s Virginia Tech running back David Wilson. That marks the end of the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. It certainly flew by, and the Broncos will be busy tomorrow — the club has two picks in the second round and one in the third. Not to mention, the team has three fourth-round picks early on Saturday — we’ll see if that translates to any more trades for the club.

Thanks for sticking with us. Head to the DenverBroncos.com draft page for all of our coverage. Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway is expected to meet the media in a few minutes — we will have more from that press conference on the front of the site shortly.

-Gray Caldwell

Tags: 2012 NFL Draft

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