When Jahdae Barron was available at the No. 20 overall selection, Denver Broncos general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton felt the value was too good to pass on. The Broncos kept their affinity for Barron quiet before the draft.
The scene underscores the uncertainty around the pre-draft process. Payton and the Broncos were commonly linked to the top skill positions in the class.
They were even tied to some defensive linemen, at which Payton quipped.
“The mocks that you guys read for the last month, what do you want me to say?” Payton told reporters on April 24. “It’s embarrassing sometimes, but it’s entertaining.”
Ashton Jeanty, Colston Loveland, Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden III, Tyler Warren, and TreVeyon Henderson were all popular speculative targets for Payton and the Broncos leading up to the 2025 draft.
All except Burden and Henderson were off the board before the Broncos went on the clock.
Broncos HC Sean Payton, GM George Paton Debunk Draft Trade Rumors
Payton’s Broncos were one of the few teams eyeing a trade up in the draft, per numerous reports before the event. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini went in complete opposition and proved correct in her take.
Russini’s reporting from April 24 aligns with comments Paton made after Round 1.
“There was a runner that we considered in that range. I think that was more of a trade-back scenario. We had some opportunities to trade back, but we feel good moving forward with [Barron.] Like we’ve said throughout the process, there’s a lot of runners in this draft. And it’s, ‘You never know’, but we feel pretty good we’ll get a runner in this draft,” Paton told reporters on April 24.
“There’s a lot of them. And if there’s not that, we’ll sign one after the draft, we’ll sign a free agent. There’s a lot of good players left in the draft, and we feel good with where we’re at. A lot of offensive players, a lot of weapons left. And so we got a weapon on defense in the first round.”
Payton offered strong comments when asked directly about the Broncos feeling any temptation to trade up in the draft. He had touted doing so before.
“I think we felt like this was a ‘pick at our number or possibly move back’ year, based on how the board set,” Payton said. “I think you’re hitting a little bit of, maybe, the honey hole of this draft in tomorrow’s … second and even into the third round. And so, I don’t think forward. Every team up there – every team – they were all looking to come back. And the reason was, really, how the board was set, I think, with most of the teams in the league.”
Broncos Surprise Masses With Steal
The Broncos’ decision to draft Barron even caught the team’s beat writers off guard. But the decision has drawn strong reviews from draft experts.
Pro Football Focus’ Mason Cameron listed him as the top “steal” of the class so far.
“Denver opts to build upon a strength, pairing one of the best cornerbacks in college football, Barron, with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Pat Surtain II,” Cameron wrote on April 25. “The versatile coverage defender — the highest-graded cornerback in college football last season (91.1) with at least 400 coverage snaps — is a natural zone defender with incredible instincts and can slot in at any position in the secondary.”
Barron said he is eager to learn from Surtain. Along with 2023 third-round pick Riley Moss, they give Payton and the Broncos as formidable a secondary as there is in the NFL on paper.
