ENGLEWOOD — It would be easy for undrafted rookie running back Jaleel McLaughlin to start feeling good about his chances of making the Broncos’ 53-man roster. But his background has led him to take nothing for granted.

When McLaughlin was growing up in Spring Lake, N.C., outside of Fayetteville, his family battled poverty. He was raised along with three siblings by a single mother and there was a period in middle school when the family was homeless for several months.

“There’s been games where I’ve had a great game and I came home to nothing,’’ McLaughlin said Tuesday about why he’s keeping an even keel about his roster prospects. “I came home to sleeping in the car. So that’s why I say I never get too high, never get too low, because the unexpected can happen. So that’s why I say I’m going to keep my head down and keep trying to do whatever I can do for this team.”

The 5-foot-7, 187-pound McLaughlin has been one of Denver’s biggest surprises since the start of training camp and through two preseason games. The speedy McLaughlin showed off his versatility in Saturday’s 21-20 loss at San Francisco by rushing seven times for 45 yards and a touchdown, catching a touchdown pass and returning a kickoff 44 yards.

Was coach Sean Payton surprised about anything McLaughlin did in that game?

“We’ve kind of been seeing it, if you’ve been paying attention to practice,’’ Payton said. “I wouldn’t say anyone’s surprised.”

McLaughlin is in good position to land a roster spot as the No. 3 running back behind Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine. The Broncos might even keep four backs, with Tony Jones Jr. also a candidate to make it.

The next challenge for McLaughlin will be joint practices Wednesday and Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams at Centura Health Training Center. He is thrilled that his mother, Tonya McLaughlin, and some family members will be at the practices as well as at Saturday’s preseason finale against the Rams at Empower Field at Mile High. They also were at the preseason opener Aug. 11 at Arizona and at the game against the 49ers.

“It motivates me a lot,’’ McLaughlin said. “My mom, my family, they’re making it to every game no matter what they have (financially).”

While raising McLaughlin, his mother was a factory worker in North Carolina and the family was homeless for a period after she was unexpectedly laid off. How hard his mother worked to support him is one reason McLaughlin arrives regularly at Denver’s practice facility at 5 a.m. He said he’s had that sort of work ethic since he was a senior at Forest Hills High School in Marshville, N.C.

“I might have a down day or say, ‘It’s early in the morning,’ but I think about my family,’’ McLaughlin said. “I think about the sacrifices they’re making.”

After starring in high school, McLaughlin didn’t get any big-school offers due to his size. He ended up at Division II Notre Dame College of Ohio, where he ran wild. He had 2,421 yards as a freshman in 2018 and 2,316 yards the following season.

After the coronavirus pandemic, McLaughlin transferred to FCS Youngstown (Ohio) State. His three seasons there included 1,588 yards rushing in 2022. He finished with 8,166 yards, the most in college football history.

“His mother did a great job keeping (the family) together,” said Mike Jacobs, who was McLaughlin’s coach at Notre Dame College and now coaches Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina. “Although they had had some tough times, they always seemed to persevere. And I think what you get from him now is, this kid is the all-time leading rusher in NCAA history, and you’d never know that by speaking to him. There’s a humbleness and almost an aloofness to how good he is because he’s just so appreciative of everything.”

That attitude surfaced when McLaughlin was not selected in last April’s NFL draft.

“Everything happens for a reason in life and I’m learning under one of the best coaches ever,’’ McLaughlin said of going the free-agent route and joining Payton’s team. “That’s what I take from it. I’m in a great running-back room with Coach Lou (Ayeni). He’s a great running backs coach. The offensive line (is good). The brotherhood is unbelievable, so I think I landed in the right spot, so I’m thankful.”

McLaughlin said he chose to sign with the Broncos over some other teams after being impressed by Ayeni in a pre-draft interview. He got $40,000 of his rookie contract guaranteed as well as a $15,000 signing bonus.

McLaughlin made his preseason debut against the Cardinals in the fourth quarter and carried four times for 24 yards with a touchdown in the 18-17 loss. He played that game with his name misspelled “McGlaughlin” on the back of his jersey.

Then came the game against the 49ers, when McLaughlin entered in the second quarter. His touchdowns came on an 8-yard run and a 9-yard reception.

“Everybody will obviously talk about him scoring and making plays, but that doesn’t just happen overnight,’’ said Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. “It’s one of those things that you work at it every day. He’s a guy that comes in early. He’s one of the first guys there every morning and sits in the front of the room. He takes notes every day and he’s a professional.

“What a blessing to have such a young player who can really do a lot of special things like his kick return. … his runs, his catches. He can do it all. More importantly, the best thing that I see is his work habits. … That’s his mentality. That’s where greatness comes.”

Jacobs has continued to keep up with McLaughlin since he joined the Broncos.

“I’m super excited for the kid because I know how hard he works and the story of what he had to overcome to get where he is at,” Jacobs said. “I just don’t know a better person, let alone a better player. He kind of exemplifies everything you want your (team) to be.”

Through it all, McLaughlin has remaining grounded. He has continued to shrug off questions about his chances to make the team.

“I haven’t even thought about it,’’ he said. “I’m going to keep taking it day-by-day. No matter how big or how high or how low you get in life, you’ve never done enough.”

McLaughlin, though, did offer one clue that he could end up making a name for himself on the Broncos. He joked about how his name was initially misspelled on his jersey and touched upon how it just might become a collector’s item.

“I need that jersey, by the way,’’ he said of his quest to retain it.