Broncos traded out of 2nd round after LB they 'really liked' went off board

“It’s a typical draft," general manager George Paton said of trading down. "There was a run at certain positions as we figured there would be. It fell like we thought it would. I think I mentioned we had six players, and they all started going — the six. Tyler was one of the six. It fell kind of like we thought it would."

When asked about several tight ends (including Klare, right before them) going off the board before Denver's pick, coach Sean Payton downplayed the team's reaction.

“I think you go into the day, and we’re looking closely at the grade and the stack," Payton said. "We’re never trying to worry about the splash. We’re really trying to look at it with the proper vision, the proper grade. Were there offensive players, defensive players, you’re following that. It was pretty clear without trying to reach maybe for another position. At that pick, and then our wiggle back, made complete sense. So I don’t think there was this, ‘Ah,’ either or — it was pretty clear where he sat with his grade versus the field. That’s being smart to the board.”

The Broncos ended up adding two tight ends later in the draft, including NC State's Justin Joly in the fifth round. Denver also added a linebacker (Red Murdock) with the final pick in the draft. So while it might not have been as early as we expected, the Broncos did address both key positions of need.

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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Denver Broncos explain why they traded out of 2nd round of draft