Since being hired as the new general manager of the Denver Broncos in 2021, George Paton's management of roster building and coaching hires has been very questionable at the bare minimum. Two of the most notable moves on his behalf consist of the trade for quarterback Russell Wilson surrendering multiple premium draft picks and the hire of former head coach Nathaniel Hackett who was fired after just 15 games in 2022.
Ultimately, sacrificing numerous day one and day two draft picks along with handing Wilson a massive five-year, $242.5M contract extension has significantly set the franchise back for years to come. Due to the trades for Wilson and head coach Sean Payton, George Paton and the Broncos have had a low amount of draft capital to work with in back-to-back years and miserably failed to find much talent in the 2022 NFL Draft, despite making nine selections.
Up to this point, Paton's tenure as Broncos general manager has been a subtle disaster. The chances of Denver hiring a new general manager in 2024 are very, very high.
George Paton's 5 worst draft picks as Broncos GM:
5. CB Damarri Mathis
In his rookie season, cornerback Damarri Mathis showed serious flashes of a legitimate CB2 in this league across the field from All-Pro Patrick Surtain ll. However, after losing former defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to the Carolina Panthers, Mathis' career has taken a turn for the worse. Playing in a predominantly heavy man-coverage scheme during his rookie campaign, Mathis performed at a stellar level for a fourth-round pick.
In 2023, Mathis started in six games and allowed 311 yards in pass coverage, three touchdowns, a 74.3% completion rate, and a high 129.6 quarterback rating when targeted. After having high hopes entering the year, Mathis was benched just six games into the season. The 24-year-old cornerback's production has significantly decreased under new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's scheme and has yet to create a turnover in 23 NFL games. Due to his significant regression, the Broncos will be in the market for a new starting cornerback when free agency comes around in 2024.
4. TE Greg Dulcich
Denver Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich has had a very frustrating start to his young career, especially in year two. The 23-year-old tight end out of UCLA has suffered three hamstring strains/pulls since entering the league. Despite producing north of 400 receiving yards in just six games started in his rookie season, Dulcich's right hamstring has continued to prevent him from seeing the field and has resulted in just 32 snaps and 25 receiving yards this season.
While Dulcich did not have injury issues coming out of college, the draft pick never made a ton of sense considering tight end was not as severe of a need as George Paton thought in the third round. Sean Payton will likely be searching for a new starting tight end with high abilities in the passing game due to the failed experiment of Dulcich.
3. DE Eyioma Uwazurike
Fourth-round pick Eyioma Uwazurike out of Iowa State has been a horrible draft selection all around. The defensive end has already turned 25 years old and is currently serving an indefinite suspension from the NFL after betting on games during his rookie season. An additional five players from Uwazurike's college team were also suspended for gambling as well. While this was an issue Paton probably never saw coming, Uwazurike was never really the player the Broncos thought they were drafting in the fourth round.
In just eight games in 2022, he totaled 17 tackles, two quarterback hits, and a pass breakup. In totality, Uwazurike truly never looked explosive in any capacity and had very few flashes towards the end of the season. The young defensive end was even being outperformed by sixth-round rookie Matt Henningsen who was selected two rounds after him. And due to his suspension, he'll likely struggle to see playing time in the NFL for the rest of his career.
2. S Jamar Johnson
Former Denver Broncos safety Jamar Johnson has a strong case to be George Paton's worst draft pick to date, but for other reasons, I'll stick him at the second spot instead. Johnson was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and played just three games with the team before being waived prior to the start of the 2022 season. The 23-year-old safety played just 38 special teams snaps and did not make a single appearance in the secondary. Not having the brightest offseason and preseason performances in back-to-back years, Paton's use of a fifth-round pick proved to be another waste.
1. WR Montrell Washington
Former Broncos wide receiver Montrell Washington, who was most recently fielding kicks for the Kansas City Chiefs, is arguably George Paton's worst draft pick in his three years as general manager. Being drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Denver had specifically selected him due to his abilities as a designated returner and potential gadget player.
In his rookie season, Washington caught four passes for two yards and rushed for 30 yards in his 15 games played. In addition, the 24-year-old returner averaged 8.5 yards per punt return and a disappointing 18.9 yards per kickoff return along with five fumbles. Drafted solely to be Denver's long-term fix for the returner spot, Washington never once appeared to be an above-average returner. While the expectation never was for Washington to be elite off the bat, the usage of the draft pick remains puzzling in itself.
The wide receiver out of Samford had a few flashes during training camp in August but failed to make the roster after being outperformed in the preseason by multiple other receivers. Yet again, another fifth-round pick that George Paton whiffed on. Drafting a returner in the fifth round with several gaping holes on the roster will always be one of the most interesting draft-day decisions in recent memory.