It has to be a lineman, right?

With the schedule released and the Denver Broncos nearing the NFL Draft, the questions on the minds of Broncos fanatics have now fully turned to the upcoming event. Most pressing to most, who will be taken with the team’s first-round pick? More to the point, since very few people are familiar with all of the options, what position will that first-round selection play?

While Denver is usually a team to play it close to the vest, this year they’ve thrown out some hints as to where they may be leaning early in the draft. And the first week of offseason activities has been no exception.

John Elway, speaking to the media, acknowledged for the first time in his tenure as general manager and vice president of football operations, that this might be the year where needs force the Broncos away from the policy of “best player available,” which has been the refrain for as long as many fans can remember.

What positions the team may determine to be “of need,” however, may end up being a surprise.

Earlier this week, team beat writer Troy Renck penned a column suggesting that the team’s change in schemes to zone blocking might lift the burden of overhauling the team’s much-maligned 2014 offensive line. At the risk of reading too much into it, a beat writer for the Broncos usually doesn’t write something like that without good reason. Perhaps that could steer Denver away from the pick of a right tackle that seems like a foregone conclusion to many members of Broncos Country.

C.J. Anderson spoke to the media last week, as well. Typical of the running back, he had a chip on his shoulder and was determined not to take anything for granted in 2015. More than one scribe since that time has intimated that there may be more to Anderson’s words than just a running back who is out to prove the world wrong and that running back may again be a target for Denver in 2015. But Denver’s best runners have almost always been later-round picks, and it’s hard to see them going back to the well again in the first few rounds when the most recent fruits of that strategy have been disappointing thus far.

For that same reason, a first-round defensive tackle seems unlikely for the Broncos. Elway used a top draft pick on a defensive lineman in both 2012 (Derek Wolfe) and 2013 (Sylvester Williams). Without seeing a little more production out of those two in the 3-4 defense, he may not want to invest more into a position that often takes time to pay dividends.

But there’s another position of need that does make sense for the Broncos, and on a number of levels: Inside linebacker.

Since the announcement of Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator and the move to the 3-4, it’s been widely assumed that the team’s four-linebacker alignment would feature Von Miller, Danny Trevathan, Brandon Marshall and DeMarcus Ware.

With Miller and Ware playing versions of the exact same player in the 3-4, doesn’t it make sense to take one off the field for Marshall on the weak side in some situations? The personnel just seems to fit better with one more solid contributor inside.

With Marshall and Trevathan both undersized on the inside by most standards, plus a notable lack of experience at the nose tackle position, might it make sense to finally bolster the position that the Broncos have treated with a plug-and-play mentality for years?

The last inside linebacker that the Broncos drafted in the first four rounds of the draft that saw significant time with the team at inside linebacker was Nate Irving in 2011 in the third round. Before that? D.J. Williams in 2004 (who spent far more time at outside linebacker until later in his career).

With many early evaluations placing the best options in the middle towards the back of the first round and even into the second, might the Broncos reach a spot or two to ensure that they got this year’s top option?

Sure, it’s entirely possible that this season’s best inside option is more of a second-round selection, and the Broncos have shown a willingness to trade back out of the first round in the past (with Wolfe in 2012). But if they stay where they are and aren’t looking at offensive linemen, then where else would they go with the pick?

With Cody Latimer in position to step up at wide receiver, plus Owen Daniels and James Casey added to the tight end fold, offensive skill positions would appear to be an issue for later rounds. Denver has also seemed content with the state of their defensive backfield, so it’s probably out as well if they plan on drafting for need.

Early signs for the Broncos draft are out there. And I guess it doesn’t have to be a lineman.

If you ask me, the signs point to a linebacker. Would you be happy with that pick?