The Denver Broncos brain trust of George Paton and Sean Payton have never subscribed to the ‘NFL train’ where pundits and folks alike express their belief in what the team should do. After Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft, it’s clear as day that they care more about the information they know about prospects and the team’s actual needs.
Denver Broncos brain trust doesn’t subscribe to NFL train
The NFL train. Broncos head coach Sean Payton has used this expression a handful of times when gathering information and listening to what talking heads are saying about what his team should do.
During this cycle of the NFL Draft, the NFL train widely suggested the Broncos take a receiver, tight end, or running back with the 20th overall pick, a train of thought that has been taking place for months. What we’ve learned from Payton and general manager George Paton is that they value the best player available and aren’t afraid to add to a strength.
They were never on the train.
ICYMI: Denver Broncos select Jahdae Barron 20th overall in 2025 NFL Draft
That’s why they added Texas Longhorns cornerback Jahdae Barron. A move that nobody in the mock draft universe thought of or anticipated.
“We weren’t expecting him to be there,” Paton said. “He was pretty high up on our board. What we liked about him is [that] he’s a playmaker. He’s a football player. He’s a fun watch. I did him during the season, then after the season, Sean and I watched him last week, but we just couldn’t stop watching him. Just the instincts and participation, route awareness, zone coverage, really sticking to [his] man, doesn’t give up any completions. I don’t think he gave up a touchdown; we kept looking. Ball skills in the run game, this guy’s really good in the run game, a really good tackler, really good blitzer. He plays all over the field. This guy’s got really good football intelligence. He just kind of fits everything we’re looking for in a player. Talk about versatility, football intelligence, play-making ability. He’s just going to add to a good defense. We’re excited to have him.”
For the most part, the Broncos’ secondary is a strength of theirs. Last year, that strength suffered a setback after Riley Moss went down with an MCL injury, and in return, we saw the Broncos’ production dip defensively and schematically.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Broncos played man coverage on 40.7% of dropbacks with Riley Moss on the field. When Moss was out due to an injury, Denver’s man coverage rate dropped to 31.2% without him.
“It’s a premium position for one,” Paton said. “I’ve said it before: you can’t have enough good coverage guys. We had a few injuries this year, and we saw what kind of happens. We can’t have enough good cover guys. This guy was just unique for where he was on our board. I talked about the football player, the playmaker, but he was just too unique to pass up, and corner is a premium position.”
The regression of the defense was notable in the most crucial stretch of the season last year and the addition of Barron gives the Broncos complete inside-out versatility, where schematically the defense has four players who can match up anywhere. That will be big when they play the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and a crucial rematch this upcoming season against the Cincinnati Bengals.
For the “Broncos missed out really good running backs” crowd, Payton and Paton don’t believe that one bit.
“There was a runner that we considered in that range,” Paton said. “I think that was more of a trade-back scenario. We had some opportunities to trade back, and we feel good moving forward with like we’ve said throughout the process, there’s a lot of runners in this draft. You never know, but we feel pretty good we’ll get a runner in this draft. There’s just a lot of them. If there’s not then we’ll sign one after the draft, they’ll sign as a free agent. There are a lot of good players left in the draft, and we feel good with where we’re at. [There are] a lot of offensive players, a lot of weapons left. We got a weapon on defense [in the] first round.”
In order to maximize your roster, you can never go wrong by adding elite-level players at premium positions. If Denver lands TreVeyon Henderson tonight, those who were the most vocally upset on Thursday night might have to walk back their initial outrage.
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