He wears a devilish grin and was the first NFL coach with a deal with the Jordan Brand. He wears his confidence as comfortably as his Nike designer sweatshirts, ever on the lookout for a reason to pick a fight or display his football intelligence.
And that puts the NFL draft squarely in Sean Payton’s wheelhouse.
His conviction, his acumen, his nearly three decades of pro experience make him good at this. Did you hear the story about him taking Patrick Mahomes in 2017 before the Chiefs snatched him one spot before the Saints?
Not everyone likes Payton. But Broncos Country, you should love him. And trust him to do right by Bo Nix in the draft.
Over the last calendar year, the Broncos landed a franchise quarterback and made the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Payton’s personality has returned the team’s swagger.
You can see where this is going.
The Broncos own the 20th pick in Thursday night’s first round, and while there is a strong argument to sit tight, they are two offensive players away from usurping the Chiefs in the AFC West.
And we all know the truth: The Broncos need a running back. And another weapon in the passing game.
Is it time to make a play for Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty? Wiggle into the top 15 to ensure they land TreVeyon Henderson or Tyler Warren? Or sneak ahead of a few teams to take Colston Loveland, Tetairoa McMillan or Emeka Egbuka?
Payton has earned the right to debunk conventional wisdom. And there are reasons to think he will.
Rumors continue to smolder that the Broncos will be aggressive even as the embers feel like a smoke screen (Payton delighted in the league thinking he wanted J.J. McCarthy last year).
But history delivers this full-throat scream reminder: Just watch him.
Over his past 15 drafts, Payton has moved up 24 times, including in Denver to land All-Pro returner Marvin Mims Jr. and starting cornerback Riley Moss.
Over his past 17 drafts, as noted by Yahoo.com, he moved down once without receiving a veteran player.
Payton takes big swings. It’s kind of his thing.
General manager George Paton is a proven evaluator of college talent. But he will serve as the caddy in the first round. It is on Payton to decide which club to pull out of the bag.
He once climbed up to take running back Mark Ingram. If we learned anything last April, it’s this: If Payton wants a guy, he will get him.
He took Nix 12th overall without flinching, even as the former Oregon star was projected as a late-first, early second-round talent.
Payton, like owner Greg Penner, hates when people answer questions with, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
So the Broncos have not made a first-round trade since 2019? So what? They have never drafted a running back higher than sixth overall (Floyd Little in 1967). Big deal. The highest they have picked a receiver is 15th with Jerry Jeudy in 2020. OK, that should give pause.
Beyond acquiring the second overall pick to select Travis Hunter, nothing would move the needle like getting Jeanty. He is a human pinball, capable of providing yards after contact and explosive runs (Nix was the only one delivering those for the Broncos last season).
While Payton is partial to a two- or three- or four-back system, Jeanty can play every down.
Any running back in Payton’s system must be able to catch. Jeanty posted 66 receptions over the past two seasons. The problem? The price would be uncomfortable to move into the top 5 — say this year’s first-rounder and All-Pro edge rusher Nik Bonitto or multiple first-round picks and a third.
To get value, Jeanty would have to morph into Christian McCaffrey. But a dive into the top 10 to the Saints’ spot at No. 9 is not unreasonable, involving the 20th pick, next year’s first-rounder and some change.
But some believe Henderson is a better fit for Payton’s offense, yes, even more than the intriguing Omarion Hampton. No one throws on first down as much as Payton, and pairing Henderson with Audric Estime as Denver’s version of Jahmyr Gibbs makes a lot of sense.
Warren, Loveland, McMillan or Egbuka would address a glaring issue that free-agent addition Evan Engram can only partially relieve: Winning in the middle of the field.
Warren with the ninth pick would provide a Jeremy Shockey jolt. Loveland is an ideal slot at tight end, McMillian is Courtland Sutton 2.0 and Egbuka might be the safest pick in the draft with his nuanced routes, pedigree and college production.
Any one of these players would give Nix another option besides Sutton for contested catches and third-down targets.
Upgrades are required for the Broncos to take the next step, to say nothing of Nix.
It is always a fool’s errand to apply logic to the NFL draft. It is difficult to predict, and the chaos will begin Thursday with the third pick, likely setting in motion the Shedeur Sanders slide.
This draft represents a seminal moment for Payton. Nail two offensive picks, and the Broncos are hosting a playoff game in January.
This is when Payton is at his best. He was right about the Broncos being better at identifying and developing a quarterback. He needs to pull it off with a running back and receiver or tight end.
Of course, it would be easier to let the draft come to him, to stand pat. But this is Sean Payton we are talking about. Where’s the fun in that?
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