Since being hired as the general manager of the Denver Broncos, George Paton has done an excellent job drafting players from all three days of the draft and has hit on many early round picks however, has had some misses along the way, as every NFL GM has had in their time. Despite having limited capital in his third draft with the Broncos in 2023, Paton still managed to come away with an entire draft class that can potentially all be starters in the near future at their respective positions.
Being a former NFL scout, Paton specializes in the draft process and has greatly benefited the present rosters of the Broncos and will do so for the future as well. Here are the five best draft picks made by George Paton as GM the last three years:
5. CB Damarri Mathis
Entering his second season in the NFL, there are high expectations for the 24-year-old corner coming off a stellar rookie season in which in he was a pleasant surprise filling in the absence of the injured Ronald Darby. Despite having a rough start to his rookie campaign, having four defensive pass interference penalties called against him in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Damarri Mathis did a great job of rebounding from shaky performances and putting his best ball in front of him as he showcased his athleticism and impressive ball skills throughout the season.
Broncos rookie Damarri Mathis does a great job sitting on AJ Green’s route and closing down for the PBU as soon as Green breaks out.
— Seven Rounds in Heaven (@7RoundsInHeaven) December 18, 2022
Mathis, a fourth-round pick out of Pitt, has played a lot as a rookie and shown plenty of promise. pic.twitter.com/o1fvSCnFY4
For Mathis, the sky is the roof and his potentially certainly has sky rocketed judging off his production shown in 2022. Being able to learn behind two incredible veteran corners in Patrick Surtain ll and K'Waun Williams as well as Kareem Jackson who has familiarity with the position, is going to be a huge aid for his growth this upcoming season and is going to prove as one of George Paton's outstanding "steals" during his time as an NFL GM.