Even the most successful and best general managers across all sports have made their share of mistakes. George Paton has made some that need to be talked about. Paton was extremely picky during his search for his first GM spot.
He interviewed with nearly one-third of the league across a plethora of seasons trying to land a GM spot. One of the first things he said about Denver when he arrived was that he thought the team was a "sleeping giant." Well, he's now three years into his tenure and does appear to have made strides to awaken the giant.
Even though Sean Payton has final say on the roster, he and Paton have likely heavily collaborated on the most recent additions to the team. Paton himself has made a ton of excellent moves but also does have a bit of a lengthy record of mistakes made. Let's dive into the 10 biggest mistakes of the George Paton era.
Denver Broncos: 10 biggest mistakes in the George Paton era
10. Drafting Drew Sanders
I'm sorry, but I did not understand the Drew Sanders selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. I get that Payton has final roster say, but George Paton surely had to sign off on this pick, right? Drew Sanders is an inside linebacker and might have some ability as an outside pass rusher, but unless the Broncos have the same plan for Sanders as they did with Baron Browning, this pick doesn't make a ton of sense.
Inside linebackers are not nearly as valuable as they once were in the NFL. Sure, the best ones still get paid, but it's not a position that is necessarily needed to sustain success in the NFL. There are still plenty of very talented ILBs left on the free agency market, and if Denver wanted to add to this position this offseason, they could have used this third-round pick on something else and could have signed a FA inside linebacker.
That would have been a more efficient scenario than what they did. I guess by drafting Sanders, they might be hoping that he can eventually step in for Josey Jewell, who is a free agent at the end of the 2023 NFL season.