Certainly, the Denver Broncos will be active on draft day, but what are some things that George Paton could do in his second draft as a GM?
Standing firm with the ninth overall pick, the Denver Broncos skipped out on selecting a quarterback that fell to them, trading back for a different prospect, or even trading up for a quarterback and selected a player that went into the room of the arguable deepest position group for the team.
Selecting Patrick Surtain II shocked many of us, but in reality, the flirtation was there in the beginning. Sometimes we got lost in the “garbage time” of the NFL Draft process, where prospects seemingly rise and fall due to what other teams want other teams to believe.
Inflated athleticism and pro days can spark this inflation of hypotheticals but it happens every year.
During the 2021 NFL Draft, George Paton traded up for a running back in the second round.
Melvin Gordon III was considered an above-average back and was penciled in as RB1, so adding Javonte Williams was another strength-on-strength addition.
Trading back for the first time in round three, Paton then pulled off the selections of Baron Browning and Quinn Meinerz, a stellar first four selections that happened in many different flavors.
George Paton is calculated in his approach. With the results of the 2021 NFL Draft, I believe he is a guy who knows who he wants in the Draft and is prepared to do what it takes to get him.
That is what you want in a General Manager, someone who does the work to evaluate and calculate his decisions.
In a much better position from a team talent standpoint, but worse in capital, what might George Paton do to build this team in his vision in 2022 and beyond?
Denver Broncos 2022 NFL Draft prediction no 1.: Netane Muni and Lloyd Cushenberry III get traded
With a plethora of interior offensive lineman competing for three starting jobs, some falling out of favor a bit with a new coaching staff and blocking scheme, and some underperforming, the Denver Broncos realistically could have three different starters along the offensive line in 2022.
Netane Muti and Lloyd Cushenberry III might stick around and it may be Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow getting traded, but if I had to guess, it would be the latter.
Cushenberry III has failed to perform as some had hoped. Strength with beefier interior defenders continues to plague him throughout his career. Whether it was Teddy Bridgewater or Drew Lock, both quarterbacks had issues with pressure in their faces.
This prohibits a quarterback from stepping up and stepping into his passes, while Russell Wilson is athletic, the last thing he wants to see is Aaron Donald barreling in on him, even if in a different uniform.
Netane Muti has played well in his few performers, but I don’t think this is the right scheme for him and it could force him elsewhere.
If this happens, that would leave Graham Glasgow & Quinn Meinerz as the starting center and right guard, Dalton Risner or Billy Turner as the left guard, Calvin Anderson, Billy Turner or Tom Compton at right tackle and Garrett Bolles as the left tackle. Heck, Tom Compton can play guard too.
Maybe you don’t get too much for Muti and Cush, but George Paton could possibly swindle a pair of sixth-round draft pick in 2023 and a 2022 seventh-round draft pick for Muti. Cushenberry III could get moved for maybe a fifth-round pick this year and a seventh-round pick in 2023.
I’d be satisfied with that return, but who could George Paton draft to replace losing two key interior linemen from the previous two seasons?
Tyler Smith to compete at left guard or right tackle (maybe the starting left guard in 2023) and Cole Strange to compete inside at center (could be the starting center in 2023).
2. George Paton adds four draft picks for the 2023 NFL Draft
In this scenario where George Paton trades Netane Muti and Lloyd Cushenberry III for the aforementioned haul, the Denver Broncos already have an extra sixth-round draft pick and a seventh-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
After trading away their first-round and second-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft for Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos have their projected third, fourth, and fifth-round picks, the Detroit Lions’ sixth, and the San Francisco 49ers’ seventh-round draft pick.
When the Denver Broncos acquired Stephen Weatherly from the Minnesota Vikings, they had to send their 2023 seventh-round draft pick to them.
Have no fear, George Paton is here!
With this draft class being chunky in the middle, the Denver Broncos can afford to move down in the draft, even if they do not have a selection until 64th overall.
This is what I think actually happens as this is the most valuable asset the Denver Broncos have in the next two draft classes.
Trading down here for either a 2022 second-round pick or an extra third in this year’s class and the trade partner’s third-round pick in 2023 would be ideal. If Paton is able to recoup a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, this makes a world of difference in their draft plans next year.
This gives them the option of trading down from the hypothetical 2023 second-round pick and multiplying the picks into multiple day two picks or selecting a future right tackle if the Denver Broncos strike out at the position again.
In the middle rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, I do think George Paton trades down again and adds a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and in a dream scenario, ultimately ends up adding a 2022 second-round pick, a fifth-round pick, a sixth-round pick and a seventh-round pick
3. Tight end does not get selected with a premium selection
After including Noah Fant in the deal that saw the Denver Broncos acquire Russell Wilson, the tight end room may be one of the thinnest on the roster. Even with that, I could see a scenario where George Paton entrusts Albert Okwuegubnam as tight end one.
Andrew Beck is on the roster, Eric Tomlinson was signed as what I see being the jumbo tight end, and a member of the 2021 practice squad, Shaun Beyer, is expected to be in play for a roster spot as well.
That doesn’t look pretty to anyone, but I do think that the Denver Broncos draft a tight end, just not a Trey McBride type, but in the likes of a Cole Turner. Someone that would require George Paton to spend one of his fourth-round picks on, but would still send the message to Albert Okwuegbunam that he is the Denver Broncos’ starting tight end.
Turner is a guy who is able to block and catch the football at an adequate rate and could fill in just fine as tight end two. Turner has the ability to line out wide and play in that x-receiver role, or hop in the slot and be a size matchup for slot cornerbacks across the league.
If Tom Brady happened to be the Denver Broncos quarterback, someone who is privy to the tight end matchups, maybe Paton chases someone like Trey McBride. Russell Wilson has a lot of targets on the outside as he did with Tyler Lockett, D.J. Metcalf, and Doug Baldwin.
Throughout his career, he has never “leaned” on the tight end position for success and operates throughout big plays to his wide receivers more often that not. That stays true with his time in Denver I believe, at least for 2022.
That room gets reinforcements during the draft, just not throwing heavy artillery to an area that does not have heavy traffic passing through.
4. George Paton opens and closes the draft with pass rushers
Needing to crank up the pass rush, the Denver Broncos open the draft by selecting a pass rusher and the end draft by selecting another.
Bradley Chubb will be playing in the final year of his deal and will need to be extended if the Denver Broncos decide they want to keep him around. Randy Gregory is incredibly talented but a huge question mark for many reasons.
Gregory has already gone under for shoulder surgery and the draft has yet to happen. It isn’t expected to be major, but he will miss some important time in the offseason rehabbing.
At a vital position, the Denver Broncos had question marks for this season heading into free agency, but even with the addition of Randy Gregory, the question mark still exists.
Selecting a pass rusher like Nik Bonitto with their first selection would be a steal. Someone who has the athletic profile of future Hall of Famer and Ring of Famer, Von Miller, and Bonitto would be a fit for what this defense wants to run.
Even if Bonitto just fits in as a rotational pass rusher this season, if Chubb or Gregory have productive seasons, this selection will still hold value.
Look at Shaq Barrett and how much he meant to the Denver Broncos in 2015.
This class has a really deep pool of edge rushers, so George Paton should definitely do what he does a lot of, double-dip.
5 key takeaways from Broncos GM George Paton’s pre-Draft presser
Denver Broncos general manager George Paton shared some great insight at the team's pre-2022 NFL Draft press conference. What should we take away from it?
Taking a Michael Clemons or whoever George Paton has a fancy for to close out the draft, someone who can play solid snaps if you need would be a dart worth throwing to backup the depth at one of the most important positions in football.