Broncos analysis: Denver likely to count on several from this draft class in quest to rise to AFC contention

George Paton sounded almost gleeful on Friday night After a wheeling dealing Friday night for the Broncos that featured three trades total draft picks that changed hands and ultimately three Day picks the club s general manager outlined his rationale for trading down twice from No before picking running back R J Harvey at No We felt like moving back would set the tone for the day would give us flexibility to do what we want to do for the day Paton announced And it did The trend continued Saturday too In fact moving back and navigating around the board became an overarching theme for the Broncos over the discipline of the NFL draft s final two days They got a top-of-the-board kind of talent Thursday night in Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron Then they set about trying to squeeze any extra juice they could out of a draft group that perhaps on paper lacks pizazz but which Paton and head coach Sean Payton believe can help serve as the final phase of an offseason spent trying to vault from upstart playoff qualifier in to bona fide AFC threat this fall The recipe for any contender is this Fill your bulk obvious requirements in free agency and then use the draft to ensure your roster never gets too thin in too a large number of spots This class won t draw rave early reviews but it has a chance to satisfy that aim Barron wasn t a position of obvious need though it wouldn t surprise if he becomes a key part of Vance Joseph s defense and does so promptly In a deep class of running backs Denver knew it couldn t feasibly land Ashton Jeanty and opted against trading back for TreVeyon Henderson They did so in part because they d also fallen in love with Harvey and were able to maneuver around the board while still landing him They added a receiver who fits the Payton mold in Pat Bryant at No and then made an aggressive move to land defensive end Sai Vion Jones before Day ended On Day the Broncos took edge rusher Que Robinson in the fourth round punter Jeremy Crawshaw in the sixth and a flier on tight end Caleb Lohner a five-year Division I basketball performer deep into the seventh round Payton commented in recent weeks that all draft picks at certain level come down to a value vs need proposition and this draft class bounced back and forth between those It also sets up as a clear melding of the avenues that Payton and Paton like to operate and a furtherance of the comfort level they ve built with each other over three drafts We re aligned in how we want to build this band Payton revealed last week We both have a clear vision with what kinds of players and what types of people we want to bring into that building Overall their first two drafts have produced nicely All of the players they picked over those two classes are still on the roster going into the season All of them except perhaps seventh-round offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo have paths to substantial roles this fall They range from Bo Nix as the clear-cut starting quarterback and franchise cornerstone to ascending wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr to feasible special-teams stalwart JL Skinner For the incoming group this much is clear Payton and Paton have become efficient at identifying roles for each contestant they select That doesn t make it the the bulk exciting set of seven players or a group that will draw the same kind of transformational expectations as the one headlined by Nix last year All the same if the Broncos are going to get where they want to go this fall they ll supposedly have to get contributions from a handful of rookies It s not an accident that these are high-character type of players Payton commented Friday night We talk about it all the time Our locker room is counting on this now There s a responsibility that we have each selection to bring them like-minded players that plan on winning and are used to competing and have that football DNA This is a laborious league and if you don t have it it challenges you quick Barron is the clear-cut favorite to play early but Harvey will be counted on too Bryant will have every chance to crack Denver s receiver rotation If Crawshaw s worth a sixth-round pick then he should beat out veteran Matt Haack for the starting punting job Related Articles Cherry Creek s Gunnar Helm goes to Tennessee Titans in fourth round of NFL draft Broncos NFL draft tracker Day Denver finishes draft with former Division I basketball member Utah TE Caleb Lohner best available fits for Broncos on Day of NFL draft Sean Payton surprised at Shedeur Sanders NFL draft free fall This guy is going to play in this league LSU s Sai vion Jones selected by Broncos with st pick in NFL draft Then there are the intriguing projects Jones could be an early contributor but he is a clear look to and beyond with defensive linemen John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach each entering the final years of their deals and behind Zach Allen in line for contract extensions Lohner is the ultimate flier a Division I basketball participant who could fade out of the league promptly or turn into the next Julius Thomas Now Denver s headlong into its offseason scheme and the rookie class will be in the fold in the coming weeks Do they have enough to play deeper into January The last minimal days will provide the eventual keys to at least specific portion of the answer Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis