Broncos fans might not love George Paton's stance on 'best player available'

Within reason, the Denver Broncos prefer to select the "best player available" during the NFL draft.

It's easier to do that when the team does not have many glaring roster needs going into the draft, as is the case this year. Instead of reaching for needs, Denver can select the "BPA," just as they did in the first round of last year's draft.

Cornerback was not a big need for the Broncos in 2025, so it was a surprise when the team used its first-round pick on Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron. One year later, Denver's first pick in the 2026 NFL draft is No. 62 overall in the second round. During his pre-draft press conference last week, general manager George Paton was asked about potentially drafting another defensive back, despite the secondary not being a big position of need.

“I think when you’re trying to build your roster, you just want the best players," Paton said. "We are deep in the secondary, but you always want to build on a strength if possible. I think you’re asking if [we think], ‘best player available.’ I think you’re getting there. We’re always going to take the best player available within reason. If there are a couple of defensive backs there and there are other players maybe that are a bigger need, we would go that way. You always want to build on a strength. I think we’ve done that since we’ve arrived, and it’s worked.”

Broncos fans might not love to hear that answer, but if fans accept it now, it will be easier to stomach if Denver selects the "BPA" (even if it's a cornerback) at pick No. 62 on Friday evening. Stay tuned.

The 2026 NFL draft will be held in Pittsburgh from April 23-25.

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