Prior to the NFL draft last year, a whole different set of dynamics were in play for the Denver Broncos' front-office partnership of GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton. Ultimately, Payton's desire to find his exact fit at quarterback led the Broncos to draft Bo Nix, and it very clearly allowed the organization to start flexing its muscles only a year later.
"When you have a young quarterback, players want to be here," Paton said at the NFL meetings down in Florida on Monday.
Among the players who felt the ongoing project in Denver was worth jumping on board with was All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, a player Payton is high on for several key reasons.
"Well, he's a great communicator, he's super intelligent, his experience and there is a toughness about the way he plays," Payton said at the NFL meetings on Monday. "Sometimes you can be a second (defensive) responder and sometimes a first (defensive) responder, and he appears first a lot on screen."
Hufanga has dealt with his share of injuries, and according to Payton, it's partly on account of his aggressive playstyle. But the head coach assures Broncos fans that they'll like Hufanga.
"There’s a style to how he plays. Part of that style—because he’s so physical and so quick to support—he’s had a handful of injuries, but there’s a toughness to his game," Payton said. "You guys will like him. [There is] something about him when you meet him and you visit with him. So that was a big get. We felt excited about that.”
Of course, the Broncos' prioritization of defensive additions in free agency aimed at making an already very good unit truly elite. From a purely leadership point of view, green-lighting the additions of players like Hufanga and fellow former San Francisco 49ers star Dre Greenlaw suggests that Paton believes they'll help push the Broncos into a bonafide Super Bowl window.
"I feel like we got better," Paton said about the Broncos moves in free agency. "I feel like we got better on offense, defense and special teams. We brought in some really good players, good people and good leaders. Especially the first four that we brought in, [they are] all kind of captain material. We feel really good about the haul."
Furthermore, addressing these defensive holes before adding a new running back implies how comfortable the Broncos are with the deep 2025 draft class. Even so, the burning vacancy at the No. 1 running back spot remains a top draft priority, so Coach Payton continues to stress the importance of making his moves before Day 3 of the draft.
"There will be some things that we want to accomplish by the third day," Payton said about the draft strategy. "I think this draft will allow us to do that. A lot of that work really begins just leaving here. This whole month really will be spent in the evaluation process. It's already begun for so many of our scouts and coaches, and it will continue."
In large part, Payton has participated in enough of his own rodeos to know that Rome wasn't built in a day, but he's also never traded down in the first round during his illustrious career as a head coach. Laying down the building blocks will always incorporate free agency to begin with, but the draft will follow to flesh things out and bolster for the long-term.
Undoubtedly, we'll hear the Broncos suggested as the ultimate destination for a whole host of talented collegiate ball-carriers, and Paton isn't even bothering to throw up a front office smokescreen.
"We'll get a back in this draft," Paton said.
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