For the first time since 2012, the Denver Broncos will not make a first-round pick in the NFL draft.
And they are perfectly fine with that.
When the Broncos acquired quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seahawks in a blockbuster trade in March, Denver sent a host of players and picks to Seattle in exchange, including their first-round picks for the 2022 NFL Drafts. and 2023. With this deal, the Broncos decided that sacrificing their first-round picks was worth it to gain the security Wilson brings as a tried-and-tested veteran quarterback. And considering Denver has had 11 different quarterbacks under center in the past six years, general manager George Paton said the tradeoff was worth it.
“It’s a blessing. We love having first-round picks. We love having second-round picks, but we also love having a franchise quarterback who sets the tone every day in the building,” Paton said Friday during a news conference. pre-draft. “I walk in here and he’s here working. There’s a reason he’s great. It’s because of the work he puts into it. … On that first day (of the draft), we’re going to see Russell Wilson’s best moments.”
And so, for the first time since the year Wilson himself was drafted, the Broncos will not be among the teams vying for the top 32 picks in the draft. But Paton remains unconcerned about Denver’s prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft, as even without the picks they sent up, the Broncos will have nine picks in this year’s draft, five of which will be in the first four rounds. . That’s more than 19 other teams, and only seven have double-digit picks. Paton said that even without the top picks, the Broncos will still be able to meet all of the team’s needs with those picks.
“I think we’re in a very good place,” he said. “I think there will be value in those rounds where we can improve our team, improve our depth and improve our speed, which is all we need to do.”
With the Broncos set to make their first pick late in the second round at No. 64 overall, followed by two more picks in each of the next two rounds, there’s still a chance for Denver to move up or down during the draft. . . But Paton said that if upward moves are made, they likely won’t get the Broncos into the first round, but simply position them higher in the second.
“When we get to that second day, we’ll be on the phone calling each team. We’ll have an idea of what we want to do on that second day, especially when it starts to drop to the middle rounds,” Paton said. . “Then we will decide if we want to move, if we want to stand firm or if we want to go back. That depends on who is there and how many players that we like are there.”
Regardless of how things play out when the draft begins next week, Paton and his team will take comfort in knowing those picks were put to good use in securing Wilson.
“It’s hard to wait that long, and there will be players who will fall off. I know I’m going to be nervous. The room is going to be nervous,” Paton said. “But when I walk up to this presser and see our quarterback throwing to all those receivers, I feel great about it. I know I’m going to feel good in Week 1 because we have a franchise quarterback who does it every day. “. .”