The Broncos need to be the Sean Payton show during the draft

This is the worst time of my favorite time of year. Does that make sense? My draft prep has been done for two weeks. Now….we wait. As Tom Petty said, “The waiting is the hardest part!”

I like when the draft finally gets here… and it can hurry up anytime it wants to! I know it’s less than two weeks away, but it’s going to feel like FOREVER.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep Wrangler TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Patriots Run the Draft

The New England Patriots run the 2024 NFL Draft. I’m sure the Chicago Bears are going to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. I believe the Washington Commanders will then take LSU QB Jayden Daniels off the board at No. 2 overall. That leaves the Patriots up next with the third pick.

If the Patriots make the pick that is. I believe the Denver Broncos or the Minnesota Vikings could move into the No. 3 spot if they wanted to. The price would be hefty, but the chance to move that high is there if a team is creative enough to put a package together. Even with a quarterback premium, moving up that high wouldn’t cost that much – so I anticipate the pick could be moved.

I heard back in January that the Patriots loved Daniels, and if they couldn’t get him, they would move back and draft Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. Now in April (the month of lies) all you hear is how the Patriots love Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy or North Carolina QB Drake Maye. I’m not sure if I believe that, as the Patriots might be trying to temp the Vikings (who may love Maye) or the Broncos (who may love McCarthy) to make a move. The Arizona Cardinals have the no.4 overall pick, and they could get a haul for their pick. Perhaps the Patriots want a piece of that action.

1 is Caleb, 2 is Jayden (IMHO).

3 is where the #NFLDraft begins – and I think you can move up if you'd like. #Patriots run this thing…. #Broncos #Vikings it could be you on the clock. @DenverSportsCom https://t.co/WhM28iGhl4

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 14, 2024

Make the move. I’m a little surprised a deal hasn’t come together yet. I’d like the Broncos to move up in the draft – as high as they can – before the Vikings do. I’m sure Broncos HC Sean Payton is working to do that. Now, we need to see if he can make it happen – and we’ll see if GM George Paton can help him do that.

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To Hell with Compromise

It’s my belief that Payton and Paton may not be on the same page when it comes to first-round strategy in the draft. Payton wants to move up, likely for the quarterback he loves. Paton wants to move back, likely to secure more picks – one of which could be used on a quarterback. This is just a guess, but let’s call it an educated guess.

I believe Payton and Paton get along well, and they certainly respect each other. However, they seem to have different philosophies when it comes to the draft. Payton constantly moved picks to maneuver up in the draft when he was with the New Orleans Saints, building a championship roster with Mickey Loomis. Paton subscribes to the “more darts” theory when it comes to the draft, and he’s previously commented on how many misses there are at quarterback in the first round.

That’s true, but what’s truer is there are more misses on quarterbacks taken after the first round. Paton was part of a Vikings’ front office that took a chance on guys like Christian Ponder and Teddy Bridgewater in the first round. Ponder was a bad pick who busted due to lack of talent, while Bridgewater had talent, but a horrific knee injury robbed him of the future he could’ve had in the NFL. It’s almost as if misses from the past continue to haunt Paton.

Sean Payton wins

EVERY TIME.

They may not be on the same page, but I fully believe the #Broncos will do what SP wants. @DenverSportsCom https://t.co/8jBaAj6DJP

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 14, 2024

Everything needs to be about what Payton wants. All power is in the hands of Payton, and the team needs to cut down on the excuses. Put it all on Payton’s shoulders – I’m sure you’ll like the results. If not, you’ll eventually be looking for a new head coach.

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No Combine, No Problem

There are plenty of players who have talent that don’t get invited to the NFL Combine. So, every year I look to see who the NFL missed out on in the pre-draft process and which one of those guys stood out to me on film or scouting them in person at the Shrine or Senior Bowl.

I can’t believe Memphis running back Blake Watson did not get a Combine invite after what he did on film or during the week of practice at the East-West Shrine Bowl. If you read my RB Draft Preview, then you know about Watson’s game. Simply put, he’s a playmaker with speed, vision, and acceleration that makes him a dangerous weapon for any offense that adds him.

The draft comes at teams fast and furious. This means some players just fall through the cracks (like Philip Lindsay did years ago). A scouting department must have favorites to stand on the table for. If I was in the Broncos’ draft war room, you better believe I would be promoting Watson as a late-round pick. While teams may try and get cute to let a player fall to the undrafted ranks, I’d rather take a chance on talent like Watson in the late rounds.

My highest graded non-Combine prospects by position (offense):

QB: Carter Bradley, South Alabama
RB: Blake Watson, Memphis
WR: Mason Tipton, Yale
TE: Colson Yankoff, UCLA
OT: Travis Glover, Georgia State
iOL: Dalton Tucker, Marshall pic.twitter.com/ZhmI2X58Jp

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) April 12, 2024

Watson is exactly the type of player the Broncos need to find on day three of the draft. In fact, Paton’s biggest requirement this year is to secure those types of players. Payton will know the top rounds of the draft, so it’s up to Paton to get playmakers in the later rounds and priority free agents after the draft. Adding Watson would be a smart move.

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Off the Charts

People have seen nine minutes of the upcoming “Deadpool and Wolverine” film at the recent Cinemacon. Every year, theater owners from around the world gather to see what’s coming up. In Las Vegas last week, the nine-minute profanity-laden sizzle reel for “Deadpool and Wolverine” took the event by storm.

Trust me, I’ve scoured the internet for any footage, and it doesn’t exist. However, you do have first-hand reports from people in attendance. From those reports, this movie is easily tracking for $1 billion (with a “B”) at the box office. I’m not saying it will go well over that mark, but I could see “Deadpool and Wolverine” making more money than “Deadpool 2” which made $785 million.

The release date of July 25 can’t get here fast enough. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is not what it used to be, and a film like this could get things back on track. I do not believe people have superhero fatigue, as there has been a constant barrage of those films over the last decade, and I believe fans will back something that’s fun – and well written – in the genre. The MCU is only releasing one film in 2024, and this movie should be the biggest hit of the year!

As you can imagine, the reaction for Deadpool & Wolverine was thru the roof, as I navigated the floor of Caesar’s Palace the rest of the day, exhibitors repeatedly told me how excited they were and how they expect it to do so well.

Shawn Levy, Ryan, Hugh and the entire team… pic.twitter.com/yy218bfbR6

— robliefeld (@robertliefeld) April 12, 2024

Who else can’t wait for this movie? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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