Ja’Quan McMillian has a competitive fire that burns with the energy of 1,000 suns.

“If I see something I want,” the Broncos cornerback tells me, “I have to go get it — every time.”

How does a 5-foot-10, 180-pound, undrafted, East Carolina no-name carve a path to the NFL?

Easy: It’s that competitive fire — which he says comes from his late father, Stephan McMillian.

“My dad… he’s the reason I’m even in sports at all,” ’J-Mac’ says.

From Rod Smith to Chris Harris Jr., Broncos history is blessed with a glorious list of undrafted gems. The latest is McMillian, a special kind of go-getter you want on your team in part because you don’t want to play against him.

Denver plays at Kansas City Sunday. Will the most underrated player on Denver’s defense record his first interception of the great Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium? Standby.

But it still would be the second-favorite turnover of McMillian’s young NFL career.

You might recall McMillian’s favorite turnover. It happened on Monday Night Football — at Buffalo last November — when he stripped the ball away from Bills running back James Cook.

On the game’s first snap, McMillian also recovered the fumble, kickstarting a Broncos upset of the heavily favored Bills.

McMillian keeps that ball in “my man cave” at his Parker home. It reads: “Happy birthday, Dad.”

Yes, his first NFL turnover arrived on what would have been Stephan McMillian’s 42nd birthday.

His father died in December 2022 — roughly three weeks before his son’s first NFL game.

“He never got to see me play in a game with the Broncos,” says McMillian, who declined to divulge details of his father’s death.

“The thing is, I could feel him that day. He was there. It’s hard to explain, you know? He’s watching me. And I’m sure he’d be happy with how I’m doing. It would have been a big deal.”

A few teammates knew the Monday night game landed on the anniversary of his father’s death. Cornerback Damarri Mathis, in fact, approached McMillian on the sideline prior to kickoff.

“Damarri, he looked at me and said he saw something in me, that I was going to have a game,” McMillian says. “That was in player introductions. Then I get the ball and we win the game. Crazy.”

Yes, it stands to reason rookie quarterback Bo Nix carries the keys to a brighter Broncos future. But you know what would expedite a process that’s dragged on for almost a decade?

Surrounding Nix with go-getters like McMillian who refuse to be denied.

As a kid growing up in Winston-Salem, N.C., McMillian played all the sports — baseball, track and field, basketball, football. His dad made sure young Ja’Quan spent most of his time playing sports with Jayshawn, his older brother by 2 years. Intimidation was never a factor.

“I was the youngest in the group always. So I was always working out with the older guys, getting beat up. That’s where I got my toughness from,” McMillian says. “And my dad, he taught me consistency: Whatever you do, do it 100%. That’s where I got my motor from.”

Is J-Mac’s future in Denver? He hopes so.

“I like living out here. I love (Vance Joseph, the defensive coordinator). That’s my guy,” he says. “And I like space. Back home we got a lot of trees. Here, you can breathe, you know? I like it here. I like this team. I like the culture here. I like everything.”

His contract situation is cloudy — to him.

“I’m not actually sure, to be honest with you. I don’t know what (his contract situation is),” McMillian says. “I’m not even focused on that. I just want to win games. That’s all I care about.”

The 24-year-old becomes an exclusive rights free agent after this season. The Broncos could tender McMillian at $1.03 million for the 2025 season, according to NFL ace Chris Tomasson. Here’s a hunch the Broncos eventually double down on McMillian for the long haul.

His brother now coaches a Little League team back home. Jayshawn sometimes asks Ja’Quan to speak to his kids, to offer tangible proof you can get here from there.

“I gave them a little bit of advice. It’s something for them to look forward to and know it can be done,” McMillian says. “I try to tell them all the time: ‘Do the schoolwork and listen to your parents.’ I try to mentor those guys. My brother uses me as an example. That’s a good feeling.”

Denver’s most recent win at Kansas City came Week 1 of the Super Bowl 50 season on Sept. 17, 2015. I’ve near heard an NFL stadium go from hysterical to stunned and silent so quickly.

With 27 seconds left in a 24-24 game, young Broncos cornerback Bradley Moby returned a Jamaal Charles fumble 21 yards for the game-winning score. Denver hasn’t won there since.

It would require a bunch of go-getters to beat the 8-0 Chiefs on Sunday.