ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Most mock drafts had the Denver Broncos taking a running back or tight end in the first round despite coach Sean Payton's strong hints that he wasn't necessarily bent on adding an offensive playmaker right away for his young quarterback, Bo Nix.
“Let's not bypass a crystal for a blender if we need a blender,” Payton said last week, adding, “There are two great allies to help quarterback play: It’s really good defense and obviously a really good running game.”
So, Payton and general manager George Paton were overjoyed when Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron slid to them at No. 20. The Jim Thorpe award winner (who famously beat out Colorado two-way star and No. 2 overall draft pick Travis Hunter as the nation's top defensive back) is a multifaceted, multi-talented defender who is adept at playing cornerback, safety, nickelback and dime linebacker.
“We just couldn't stop watching him" during draft preparation, Paton said. “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, playmaking ability. He’s just going to add to a good defense.”
Asked where Barron would start out as a rookie, Payton demurred, saying: “The versatility was something where you don’t have to pigeonhole into one spot or another.”
Flexibility remained the objective in subsequent rounds for the Broncos, who ended an eight-year playoff drought last year behind Nix, who threw 29 touchdown passes as a rookie despite the glaring lack of a good ground game and a pass-catching tight end.
The Broncos added all-purpose UCF running back RJ Harvey in the second round and landed Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant and LSU defensive end Sai'vion Jones in the third. In the fourth round, they grabbed special teams ace Que Robinson, an edge rusher from Alabama.
In the sixth round Saturday, the Broncos picked punter Jeremy Crawshaw from Florida and Utah tight end project Caleb Lohner, who played in 153 basketball games in five seasons at BYU, Baylor and Utah and just one season of football for the Utes, where he caught just four passes last year — all for touchdowns — in a paltry 57 snaps.
Payton hopes he has another Jimmy Graham in the rough in Lohner: “If it works out like the last one did, then we' be really exited.”
Harvey didn't catch many passes at UCF, but the Broncos feel that was more a product of the offense he was in. They project him as a sure-handed target out of the backfield.
“When you look at the running skill set, it was, wow, and explosive runs, all of those things,” Payton said. “Then you begin to study the passing game stuff and he’s got soft hands. He does a lot of those things well, you could see that maybe more in the Pro Day than you do on the film, just because of the offense.”
Even Jones, at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, provides versatility.
“He’ll play end for us, but he has flexibility down the line of scrimmage,” Paton said
The Broncos addressed their biggest needs in free agency ahead of the draft, signing safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw from the San Francisco 49ers and adding tight end Evan Engram from Jacksonville.
Holes filled?
Asked if he felt the Broncos now have enough talent at tight end and running back, Payton said, “When you ask coaches that question, the answer is we never have enough. (But) we feel we put ourselves in a good position.”
Surprise
The Broncos surprisingly selected Bryant with the 74th overall pick while there were still plenty of bigger names on the board at wide receiver. Payton explained that he saw a lot of former Saints receiver Michael Thomas in the 6-3, 200-pound pass catcher from Illinois.
“You don’t ever want to put pressure on a rookie like that, we’re just talking about traits,” Payton said. “But really explosive off the line of scrimmage, he’s very competitive, very tough.”
New tricks
Payton is known for moving up the draft board, so his GM ribbed him after Denver traded down twice in Round 2.
“I’d like to open by congratulating Sean for his first trade back since 2006,” Paton cracked.
“There were a couple of firsts," retorted Payton. “Also drafted a player from LSU, finally.”
Actually, Payton drafted a pair of Tigers among his 96 overall selections during his stint in New Orleans from 2006-21: defensive tackle Al Woods in 2010 and center Will Clapp in 2018.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Arnie Stapleton, The Associated Press
