As many times as we've heard the term "former Saints" over the last handful of years, it's safe to say the Denver Broncos have full permission to turn over a new leaf. Sean Payton had the first two years of his Denver Broncos tenure to add all the former Saints he wanted as he peed on fire hydrants and built culture. It's working.
But how about finding the "next" version of some of the guys he had there? How about instead of moving heaven and earth to trade for Alvin Kamara, Payton just looks for the "next" one? We've heard a number of people say that Bo Nix is the "next" Drew Brees. Some have said Devaughn Vele is Payton's "next" Marques Colston. There are some who think Evan Engram could be a version of Jimmy Graham.
But what about the "next" Taysom Hill? Hill's situation with the Saints was so unique. He was claimed off of waivers after being cut by the Packers and the dart the Saints threw at one point in time with Hill was borderline inconsequential.
I'm going to make a case for the Broncos to raise the stakes a few notches. In the 2025 NFL Draft, there is a superstar quarterback prospect who is not unanimously beloved at this stage for his quarterback skills. That could potentially change, but what if the Broncos envisioned a Taysom Hill-like role at the NFL level for Alabama star quarterback and Heisman finalist Jalen Milroe?
Jalen Milroe could be Sean Payton's new Taysom Hill with Broncos
The Denver Broncos have absolutely crushed NFL Free Agency. They filled out the middle of their defense by re-signing DJ Jones and bringing in both Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga from the 49ers. They brought in Evan Engram to be the "Joker" for Sean Payton's offense. But even when Payton had arguably his best Joker ever in Alvin Kamara, he had a second Joker in the deck with Taysom Hill.
And those guys terrorized defenses in a wide variety of ways.
Jalen Milroe is one of the most dynamic ball carriers in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Watch his games against LSU, Auburn, and Georgia from last season to see just what kind of a difference he can make.
Milroe has unreal skills with the ball in his hands, and at the Alabama pro day, we got to put a number to all of that. Milroe -- a quarterback -- ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash and blew everyone away with his speed. Not that you don't see that on tape, but his timed speed confirms that NFL teams would be absolute fools not to get the ball in his hands consistently.
The Broncos could be the perfect and ideal landing spot for Milroe at some point on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sean Payton has experience with a gadget player like this in his offense (Taysom Hill). The Broncos need offensive weapons. The Broncos also currently do not have a third quarterback, and Milroe could dress as a different skill position on gamedays and serve as the emergency third quarterback without carrying that official title.
At his peak with the Saints, Taysom Hill was playing between 225-475 snaps offensively and he was also a dynamic weapon on special teams. And by the way, the Broncos also have an opening for the second kick return position after the departure of Tremon Smith...
The idea of adding a player like Milroe with a premium pick isn't going to appeal to everyone, but that's okay. There are some out there who don't feel like the Broncos have the "luxury" of spending a pick on a "positionless" player, even though Sean Payton has already done it in his time with the Denver Broncos.
In 2023, Payton and the Broncos took the "positionless" Drew Sanders with a premium third-round selection. Not that Sanders is anything but a cautionary tale at this point, but he does give us a little bit of a window into the way the team thinks. Depending on how far you want to stretch it, you could also throw Marvin Mims into that mix as well because the Broncos have struggled to get him incorporated into the offense as a true receiver but have excelled when utilizing the best of his skills.
Milroe's talent is off the charts. He comes from a fantastic program at Alabama and with the way the Broncos have set themselves up right now, he might be a worthwhile risk in the 2nd or 3rd round depending on how strong they feel about that vision for the player.