The Denver Broncos have not had their full cupboard of NFL Draft picks for some time, as this year's draft has been four years in the making. George Paton took the GM job with the Denver Broncos back in 2021. That 2021 NFL Draft class was the first of his GM career.
It landed players like Patrick Surtain II, Jonathon Cooper, and Quinn Meinerz. Objectively speaking, it was an excellent class by Paton and did prove to many Broncos fans that the talk about him having a sharp scouting eye was true.
After the 2021 NFL Season, the Broncos fired former head coach Vic Fangio and decided to hire Nathaniel Hackett. The team clearly wanted Aaron Rodgers at the time but were not able to get that deal done, so they pivoted to Russell Wilson in what was one of the biggest trades in sports history.
For the first time since the 2021 NFL Draft...
It depleted the Denver Broncos draft cupboard for a while, as two first and two second-round picks, including more, were in the trade for Wilson. We all know how 2022 ended up, so as things were getting dire, Paton had to make another major trade and swing for the fences with the head coach.
He traded more draft capital for Sean Payton, which further depleted Denver's draft cupboard. The team has been without their own first and second-round picks for years now, and for the first time since the 2021 NFL Draft, those picks are back with the team.
Despite not having a significant amount of draft capital in recent years, the Broncos front office has still been able to draft players like Nik Bonitto, Marvin Mims Jr, Riley Moss, and Bo Nix. They have clearly done a nice job at finding talented players, and truth be told, this roster is probably a lot better had they not traded for Russell Wiilson, but that's in the past now.
Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, George Paton now has a lot to work with, and we saw just how good his first draft class was when the Broncos had most of their own picks. Denver is quite close and could go in a number of different directions in the first and second round.
Roster-wise, Denver needs urgent help at running back, but that's really their most dire and truly urgent need. Other positions like wide receiver, defensive tackle, and inside linebacker may also be top targets for the team when the 2025 NFL Draft begins.