Anonymous NFL executive claims Broncos draft was ‘coach-driven’
May 5, 2023, 6:08 PM
For students of NFL Draft trends, the Broncos’ two trades up in last week’s draft came as no surprise.
That’s because Sean Payton’s Saints established a pattern during his 16 years as their head coach. They valued quality over quantity. Trading up in a draft — often by sacrificing future assets – was part and parcel of New Orleans’ plan.
Between frequent deals up and accumulating fewer compensatory picks than any other team in that 16-year span, the Saints didn’t merely have the fewest draft choices in that span. They averaged a full draft choice fewer per year than any other team.
Every team starts the process with seven picks a year, of course. New Orleans under Payton averaged 5.88.
The Broncos’ lack of draft picks this year didn’t have anything to do with Payton’s strategy. It was a byproduct of trading for Russell Wilson … and then trading for Payton himself.
But the trade up to get Marvin Mims Jr.? And sacrificing one of their two third-round picks in 2024 to move up 25 slots for Riley Moss? In the eyes of unnamed NFL executives quoted for a story in The Athletic, that was all Payton.
“Everything they do now feels coach-driven,” one executive said.
And while general manager George Paton showed a willingness to move up in the draft — as he did in 2021 to select running back Javonte Williams in the second round — he espouses he “more darts” philosophy. In 2022, he took advantage of the Colts’ desire for a single prospect, trading out of the end of the third round in a deal that netted a third-round pick this year.
The Broncos’ only trade down in the draft involved acquiring a veteran player — TE Adam Trautman, a 2020 Payton draft pick.
The question now is this: How well will this strategy work in Denver? Another NFL team executive sounded a note of caution regarding the Broncos’ tactic.
“Sean Payton’s M.O. has always been to trade future picks for ‘now’ currency,” that executive told The Athletic. “The difference is, when he was in New Orleans, he had Drew Brees. It will be interesting to see how it goes in Denver.”
Which, once again, means it all comes down to Russell Wilson.
But no matter whether Wilson recaptures his old form or not, expect Payton to make aggression his draft strategy.
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