Good morning, Broncos Country!It is NFL Draft Week and that means we are on the brink of officially kicking off a new season.
After three months reminiscing (or trying to forget) just how close the Broncos were in their Super Bowl run in 2025, we can now truly focus on getting back there in 2026.
But when the famous NFL Draft chime sounds on Thursday night for teams to get their picks in, there will not be one for the Broncos.
If Denver doesn’t trade up or out of their first pick, the new player will come late in the second round at No. 62.
But George Paton and Sean Payton are still expecting impact players.
“We’re always going to take the best player available within reason,” Paton said. “If there are a couple of defensive backs there and there are other players maybe that are a bigger need, we would go that way. You always want to build on a strength. I think we’ve done that since we’ve arrived, and it’s worked.”
In recent drafts, the Broncos have mostly hit on their second-round picks including RJ Harvey, Marvin Mims, Nik Bonitto and Courtland Sutton who were all taken around that 60-something selection.
“Expectations are high. We think there are good players in this draft. …We think there are good players where we’re picking at 62. We have two picks up in the top of the fourth [round], and we feel good [about] what’s going to be there. We like it.”
But wherever the Broncos pick a player, the expectation is the same for each.
“They’re high. We think there are good players in this draft,” Paton said, adding that they have a number top players targeted for 62 as well as the two fourth-round picks. “We think there are good players where we’re picking at 62. We have two picks up in the top of the fourth [round], and we feel good [about] what’s going to be there. We like it.”
Paton, who loves to move down and get more picks, noted he has flexibility to do just that.
“We don’t mind it, and we know we still have flexibility with the seven picks to move up or move back and get more picks,” he said. “We have experience with this. We’ve gotten good players with lesser picks, so we feel good.”
Denver is mostly drafting for depth, which is a good place to be when you have fewer picks.
There’s no telling what position the Broncos will go for at 62 but Paton indicated that it’s not necessarily a player they expect to be a starter on Day 1.
“We typically like to draft high-trait players,” the GM said, adding that they aren’t afraid of a player needing development. “Maybe they lack a little bit of polish, and it’s going to take some development. We’ve done a great job with the coaches in developing these types of players.”
Paton noted that there is some luxury in being able to draft players who don’t necessarily need to fill a starting role. The time to develop can make them much better when their number is called.
“It starts with just being a good football player. We are always trying to get our best players on the field. Does that impact how we draft, or is it vice versa? That would be the six-million-dollar question. I think it’s a little bit of both.”
But sometimes a new player has to step up, Paton said, highlighting their experience with Quinn Meinertz.
“He started his first year, maybe wasn’t quite ready. Sure we’d like somebody to come in and start right away, but that’s not always realistic for first-, second- [round picks], no matter where they’re picked,” Paton said. “It’s just hard. With the way our team is built now, it’s going to be hard to come in and start Day 1.”
One thing we know for sure is that Sean Payton likes smart players. Players with a high football IQ who can handle his system and maintain his culture. If I had to bet on it, I’d say Payton would choose those qualities over elite skill every time.