Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - TEST: Denver Broncos Acknowledge TOUGH CHALLENGES In 2026

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sean Payton isn't naive enough to think that the Denver Broncos don't have some big challenges lying ahead, and he's ready for it. You are Locked-on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos Country? I'm Cody Roar. joined as always by Sarah Bedinger. And on today's episode of the show, Denver, they're diving into their draft meetings beginning today for the next 26 days. Sean Peyton told us that the run game is a big offseason emphasis for him. He didn't like the way they ran the ball last year, and that has to change going to get it 2026, but we're going to kick things off by talking about Sean Peyton acknowledging some of the bigger challenges the Broncos have coming ahead, especially after winning so many one-score games last season, Denver has to be able to manage how teams are going to counteract that.

Starting point is 00:00:54 We'll break it all down on today's episode of the show. Sarah, a lot of great stuff coming out of Sean Payton's AFC coaches breakfast with the media on Tuesday. And there were so much. And we talked about obviously some of the things in yesterday's episode about Jonah Ellis switching to inside linebacker. But I feel like the meat and the potatoes of some of the challenges the Broncos are facing ahead, things that you and I have talked about

Starting point is 00:01:16 in terms of improving the roster. Sean seems to be very cognizant of that same reality when talking about the fact that the Broncos, their schedule gets tougher, their opponents get a lot tougher for. Absolutely, the road to getting back to the Super Bowl, getting back to the AFC championship game, and really finishing the unfinished business of last season, it's not going to be like the Broncos can just simulate to the same point, right?

Starting point is 00:01:40 There's no like checkpoints in the NFL season that you can just say, well, you know, we start back at our checkpoint that we reached this point last year and we get to start back here. No, no, no. I mean, you've got to prove it all over again. That's why I think the mentality of Sean Pank, Peyton, George Payton, the organization is a really good one because he's talking about, I don't want to be, you know, win the day, win free agency, win the off season.

Starting point is 00:02:05 Like, it's all about winning. And I love that he brought that up, Cody, because ultimately, yes, you can win free agency and nothing will happen for you in September and all the way through to February, right? But when you have a mindset of winning as a team, as opposed to winning these moments in the off season, It can really shape not just your culture, but it can also keep your eyes fixed on what's the most important, right? And so I think Sean Payton, George Payton, from what we've heard from these guys in their media availability,

Starting point is 00:02:35 they realize that the roster, it's not yet complete. It's maybe mostly complete, but still some things yet to come into focus, which I think really makes things more exciting. He gave us a bit of a time frame here through the month of June. So this picture is going to continually but slowly be coming into focus for what this roster is going to look like. Well, to think about Sean, and this is what I appreciate about his drive as a coach,

Starting point is 00:02:59 is how competitive he is and how he's never satisfied. There's something that he always outlines. He says he hates the term the hay is in the barn because for him, the hay is never in the barn. It's still a process, the day to day, the grind. There's so many challenges. There's things that he also thinks outside of the box in terms of doesn't want this to become a distraction, you know, things behind the scenes or something as little

Starting point is 00:03:22 is like, hey, if we're traveling on the road and we're staying at this hotel, we need to make sure there's no ceremony or something going on outside like they occurred during the preseason where in San Francisco, there was like a whole celebration happening on the entire block outside the hotel in which they were staying. And so a lot of late night noise for them in that situation. Like, Sean is maniacal about the details. And because of that, he's even expressed that he never feels good. Even after the additions at J. LaWattle, he's never satisfied. And I think that's something that has pushed the Broncos to a competitive point where with this standard, you know they're not going to let things slip through the cracks. Here's what Sean had to say. Well, I never feel good.

Starting point is 00:04:01 I never feel good. I think we have the draft coming up. We're excited about that. The point is, though, you have to apply some patience and have a good plan. And we recognize where we're at. We understand exactly where we're at with Bose contract, our team, and yet the mistake two-thirds of the teams make is trying to win the day, win the draft day, win the hiring cycle day, and win the free agency day. And we're interested in winning. And so that's why our fan base is extremely important to us, but we're going to do what we're going to do. we think is best for our team to be better when this puzzle is finished at the end of, call it June.

Starting point is 00:04:55 I love what Sean is saying there, Cody, because obviously I'm one of those people who was really of the expectation, like, hey, come out with that mentality that they had back in 2014, where it was adding the impact players to an already loaded roster and really just having the, you know, if need be, the F them picks mentality or whatever it may be. And I get what Sean is saying here. I think it's the right thing because, look, he brought up a couple of examples, right? He said there was a lot of basically pushback when they drafted Bo Nix in the first round. And people didn't like that move or people were skeptical that that was the right decision.

Starting point is 00:05:29 And just their process, I feel, has been questioned at every turn from cutting Russell Wilson and Justin Simmons to drafting Bo Nicks to all the other moves that they've made. I mean, going after big money offensive linemen and free. I mean, there's so many different things that you could say, hey, like, what are the Broncos doing here? And the media has been ultimately the most questioning of that. So what Sean is saying here, and I love that he like, you know, if you're listening to the show and not watching, you can see in the clip, like he points around all the other tables. Like the dude is just not afraid of anybody. So he's pointing around at all the other tables when he's saying, hey, two thirds of the league cares too much about winning the day. What he's saying is that too many of these teams are catering to the win.

Starting point is 00:06:13 of the loudest voices, which might be even the smallest minority, but they're catering to the whims, trying to win the draft, trying to win free agency, trying to win the offseason, when ultimately it should be about making the right moves for your organization. And like I've said before, as impatient as I may be, I feel like Sean Peyton, George Payton, they've earned the benefit of the doubt in that regard. Yeah, and I would even say, too, like during free agency, when you and I were doing our shows, like, how can the Broncos aren't doing anything, right?

Starting point is 00:06:39 Like, we were questioning it. We also said, okay, at the same time, let's look, it from the other perspective. George and Sean have done a lot to warrant some trust in the situation. And rightfully so, it played out with them making that big splash, the J. Lin-Wattle trade. So yes, Broncos country, trust in George and Sean. I think they have proven that time and time again. Another thing that Sean talked about that I want to get to here and you're going to hear from him is highlighting the fact that he's not naive and he said that enough that, hey, the one score games that we had last season could have easily flipped. In 2026, the

Starting point is 00:07:09 Broncos have a tougher slate of opponents. A lot of teams who played in the postseason, including the defending Super Bowl champions and the team that Denver lost to an AFC championship game. Here's what Sean had to say about the challenges of 2026. I think honestly, as a head coach of a team and recognizing it was great to see us compared to the year before play very well in those one score games. That's a byproduct of a little confidence. And it started, I think, in Philadelphia. If you pinpointed a couple key games, every one of you guys would say, yeah, that was an important moment, not just for Bo. But for a lot of people.

Starting point is 00:07:44 And then pretty soon, if you're in that game the next time, you feel like you can do it. But just go do the analytics. Lopsided in your favor, one-score games, which certainly 11 of 13 would be, and then track the next season. And there's nothing that core. So that's why I said you, I never feel good. I mean, you're always, you understand the next challenge. We have a tough schedule. We don't know when we're playing these teams,

Starting point is 00:08:17 but we're playing a real good schedule of teams that have been the postseason. But I do think patience is important. Patience and adding those impact players. I mean, we've seen Jalen Waddle. The approach there is really indicative, I think, of the seriousness of what Sean is talking about, Cody. And he's saying, like, yes, 11 out of 13, those one score games, how tight the margins were last year.

Starting point is 00:08:43 That's why you go make an impact addition like Jalen Waddle. That's why we're all kind of clamoring for the aggressive approach that was, you know, initially kind of promised. And maybe you could say, well, they said it this way or they added this qualifier. But I think the assumption of aggressiveness was ultimately met by the Jalen Waddle trade. Because if you feel like the margin is that slim anyway, then going out and getting a difference maker like that proves the same thing what we all want to see for this team, which is if it's difficult to improve a roster that's already this good, which Sean Payton also talked about,

Starting point is 00:09:18 then getting better in any way that you possibly can is non-negotiable. And so everybody's on the same page. We just are all on the same page with the timing because we don't have the ability to know when those triggers could get pulled behind the scenes. Yeah. And look, I think ultimately for Denver, getting better is the splashier edition of Jalen Wada. Sean Payton also highlighted for Bo Nix to be able to continue to grow as he goes into year three. The Broncos, they have to be able to run the football a lot better in 2026.

Starting point is 00:09:47 We'll break it down here on today's episode of the show. Broncos Country Today show is brought to you by our friends over there at Fanduil. The tournament is here and it's one of the best times of the year between the brackets, the buzzer beaters, the big time upsets. And we saw certainly a few in this tournament already. It's nonstop action from tip to final cut down of the nets. And right now, Fandu, they're giving new customers. a way to stay in the action all tournament long.

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Starting point is 00:10:38 So visit fanduil.com to sign up today. That's fanduil.com to get in on the action. Sean Payton sounds pretty bullish about his running back. So the run game improvements, well, it might not necessarily be with the running back position. We're going to talk about that and what Sean Peyton had to say about the running game on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. To all you every dayers out there, Cody and I just want to say huge shout out.

Starting point is 00:11:03 Mile high salute, thank you to every single one of you. We appreciate you all so, so much for making us part of your day, however you choose to do. We want to invite you if you haven't done so already. Check out the Every Day or All Access Club. It's a great way, an easy way to support the show. And we appreciate you for checking out the show notes for a way to do that. And it just means the world to us. So thank you in advance.

Starting point is 00:11:24 And Cody, let's talk about the run game improvements for the Denver Broncos this year. Of course, the team ranked 19th in the NFL last year in rushing attempts. Sean Payton has been very vocal about the fact that he did not. like the way they finished last season in terms of running the football. And the first thing that he called out after the season was done was the run scheme. So, I mean, we bring back J.K. Dobbins. Sean and George have both been very complimentary of what he brings to the table, both in terms of his running ability and the intangibles. It seems to me like the run game improvements are not necessarily this, you know, big splash in the draft or, you know, another addition at running back

Starting point is 00:12:03 that the team is going to make. It seems like it could be something. very different entirely. Yeah, and the thing about it is, okay, hey, they brought back J.K. Dobbins. They have R.J. Harvey. They did re-sign Jellum McLaughlin, Tyler Bade, they have Cody Strader. They have Deuce Vaughn on the roster right now. But they're very much not committed to that remaining the same. This is something that they have made hints or allusions to that, hey, this could change. We could add somebody here in the draft.

Starting point is 00:12:29 We could add somebody post-draft. And previously, we were just talking about how Sean was talking about how the piece of the puzzle will probably finally assemble around June. Well, that's post-draft. That's also probably post-mandatory mini-camp. They're probably going to invite some players for some tryout bases just to be able to see. And there could be some veteran guys that maybe they have interested in to say, you know what, they're still not signed.

Starting point is 00:12:49 We'll bring them in and let's see where things go. And then that's going to warrant a training camp roster invite. So there's still a lot of roster fluctuation that could happen here. But Sarah, if you look at the Broncos run game in terms of yards, where Sean had mentioned like we ran it better in the first half of the season, collectively. In their first five games of the season, they had 100 plus rush yards. Against the Tennessee Titans, they had 151 rush yards collectively as a team against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night football. They ran for 186 yards as a team after the Philadelphia

Starting point is 00:13:19 Eagles game, right? 130 rushing yards there. They hit 100 yards on eight of their first 11 games of the season. J.K. Dobbins goes down with the injury. Then after that, Sarah, the production dipped off, especially in the postseason. Denver ran the ball against the Buffalo bills for only 70 yards in that game. They ran for 79 total yards in the snow against the New England Patriots. And that is something that left a sour taste in the mouth of Sean Payton. One thing that he even mentioned himself was how they ran the ball particularly in the postseason. Here's what Sean had to say about the Broncos run game. That could be a position that gets addressed if the opportunity presents itself.

Starting point is 00:13:58 We love the way RJ played. We ran it more consistently earlier in the year than we did later in the year. I don't like how we rushed it in the postseason. It's one way to take pressure off your quarterback, and I think that'll be a focus. I love that he ended it by saying that, Cody, because ultimately, it's not just about having balance for the optics sake of the offense. I think having balance with a running game that can truly complement your passing game is going to take a lot of unnecessary pressure. off of Bo Nix. This is one of the reasons why the discourse with Bo Nix has gotten so off the rails at times because he's being asked to do more than most quarterbacks have to do. I mean, just quite

Starting point is 00:14:44 frankly, right? Look at Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. That running game is insane. And the Broncos have experienced it firsthand for the last two seasons. So when you have the not just a, I mean, I'm not even asking for a top five running game. I'm asking for a good one. And I think that the Broncos have the pieces to be able to do that. So when you look at last season, the way that J.K. Dobbins ran the ball, yards after contact, the scheme just felt a little bit more cohesive. And the balance felt like it was a bit more intentional from a play calling standpoint. Obviously, situations, you know, determine that.

Starting point is 00:15:20 But I think ultimately, Sean is right. Like, you want to take that pressure off of Bow Nix by being able to say, hey, we can hand it off to Dobbins. We can hand it off to Harvey. Those guys are going to be able to create offense. They're going to be able to start drives for us. They're going to be able to finish out games for us. They're going to be able to help us one of those one score games, right? How can the Broncos eliminate the, you know, well, what if the pendulum swings back on a few of these one score games?

Starting point is 00:15:47 Well, they can start kicking teams teeth in, right? And how do you do that? You run the ball effectively in the second half of games. How many big leads did the Broncos maybe let get away and how many games turned from a two-score win? into a one score win because they weren't able to run the ball as effectively as they should. Yeah. And that right there is the recipe. It's the formula.

Starting point is 00:16:06 You know, and on paper, when we're talking about it, it's like, man, if the Broncos and Bo Nix, if they just had a better run game, you know, this, this, this, and this would happen. Like, people don't realize it is so hard to flip that, to turn that, to actually make that the reality. And it goes to what Sean said after the AFC championship game that I went up to Streif's office and we're talking about how I want the run game to be. You know, we're far along. We're pretty far ahead on where we want to be in terms of.

Starting point is 00:16:28 of our RPO's. We like where we're out at, but I want to be able to run the ball out of more two back sets. I want to use multi-personnel. But so much of it was the Broncos, they added a wrinkle into changing their scheme in training camp last season by adding the outside zone. I think it is valuable to be able to have that,

Starting point is 00:16:45 but players themselves personally acknowledged that it is hard. It was difficult. Tide-in said it makes their job a lot more difficult because it's not about just winning your block now. It's about getting to a specific landmark and being able to seal off pursuit backside, right? Especially trying to open things up. Or if a guy is inside,

Starting point is 00:17:03 it's being able to try to get into that path to kick him out to where the running back can make the cutback inside. So it is so much about like evolving on the flight, but J.K. Dobbins, and I've got a bonus episode coming out tomorrow for Broncos country on Dobbins. And I've got a film breakdown coming out for the everyday air club showcasing what JK does.

Starting point is 00:17:21 I mean, there were so many times last season there where J.K. is making something out of nothing. In the run game, he kind of was the Energizer Bunny. He was the heart and soul of the Broncos run game, whatever it was. Coming out of the Philadelphia Eagles game, the Broncos had the third best rushing offense in the NFL. And then after JK's injury, they suffered a massive drop-off after the fact, right? Because other guys behind RJ Harvey Harvey weren't necessarily getting the touches

Starting point is 00:17:46 or getting the ability to produce there. I really do think that the scheme is going to evolve. How that happens? I'm curious. I don't know what changes are going to be made here in that category. But you are right. It has to be better. Bow Knicks cannot be a guy who has to have the most passing attempts in the NFL

Starting point is 00:18:02 because they just simply don't trust their run game. And more importantly, Bo has done so much with less around him compared to other quarterbacks when we get into the narratives that you and I have been talking about, about the discourse and why it's so frustrating sometimes. Yeah, he absolutely has. And I think that the way that he's handled that pressure is admirable. It's been really great to see his growth. and just the maturation of his game despite all the noise from the outside,

Starting point is 00:18:29 because that could affect a lot of guys. And so I wanted to also point out to, Cody, the fact that Sean was, I mentioned in our show notes, and I mentioned a little bit here that Sean was kind of bullish on the running back positions. And I wanted to bring up something that he said about J.K. Dobbins, about being a priority. And you're going to talk about this as well. But I found it really interesting what he said about how his injuries haven't been soft tissue.

Starting point is 00:18:54 driven. He said he's someone who is one of those compound multipliers. And he said this, he brings 10 others along with him in a positive light. He said, our success last year, he has some fingerprints on that. So like the Broncos really valued what JK brought to the table in the intangibles department as far as being somebody who elevated everybody else around him. I found that to be a really interesting topic of discussion from Sean in that it wasn't just about, well, you know, he's, He was top five when he went down with the injury. That's what we're believing that he can do. But the fact that he's like carrying, you know,

Starting point is 00:19:29 and other he said. So I love that aspect of bringing a guy like that back. And that just speaks to the importance of why this team emphasized continuity this offseason. Yeah. And look, I think as well, it's for them saying like we value JK so much. We're willing to gamble on the injury history. We know it's not soft tissue. Like if JK was constantly pulling up with hamstrings or calf issue,

Starting point is 00:19:52 then I would say then you could question it. But when you get hip drop tackled and you suffer a crazy bone break because of that type of injury that we know the NFL has bound because of the major injuries that those types of tackles have caused, you're like, okay, that's kind of out of our control. That's out of his control. Whereas they believe the soft tissue stuff like the hamstrings, calves, quads, he believes that ultimately those things are controllable. It's based on stretching. It's based on nutrition. It's all these things that the Broncos do behind the scene. So I'm with you.

Starting point is 00:20:24 The run game, if it takes off this upcoming season, the Broncos are going to be in a really great position. And the offense should be drastically better in 2026. But Broncos country coming up next after the NFL coaches meetings, Sean Payton and the Broncos, they're locking themselves in the office. And they're beginning their draft prep. We hear from Sean Payton as to where he's at pre-draft meeting status. Today's episode of the show was brought to you by our friends over there at Robin Hood.

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Starting point is 00:21:22 Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robin Hood derivatives LLC, a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. The Denver Broncos won't have a pick in the first round of the NFL draft this year, but meetings have began, and the Broncos are evaluating where they're going to go with the 62nd overall pick. Broncos country, thanks so much for taking time out of here today to make us your first listen, however you choose to do so. All you every day is we appreciate you so much. We got you covered literally with a regular show. show every single day plus a bonus show.

Starting point is 00:21:54 You get two lockdown Bronco shows every day all year long. There's nobody doing it like we're doing it. And we're so thankful that you're part of the ride here, making show exactly what it is. The Broncos, they're kind of like me in a sense, right? I know you for all the hats that you wear in your job outside of locked on is riding for NFL spin zone. You do a lot of mock drafts league-wide, not just team specific, but league-wide. For me, I really begin my deep dive into the draft.

Starting point is 00:22:22 really once the month of April comes around. And that's exactly where we're at here today. And Sean Payton, the Broncos, they're just like it in the sense of now they're locking himself behind doors for the next 26 days as they evaluate prospects. I found it interesting. Sean was asked initially about the tight-in position, but he kind of answered in general where the Broncos are at in terms of evaluating prospects in this year's draft to see where they're at.

Starting point is 00:22:45 It wasn't necessarily highlighting one position, but their approach so far. We did our front board meetings prior to the combine, which is an over. overview today's Tuesday, tomorrow morning at 7.30, we enter that team meeting room and we're in there for the next 26 days. Certainly at the Combine, like I think there's some really good prospects, but I'm anxious to see who they are because right now I just know the names like, I mean, honestly, I just know them like you do. Hopefully we can get to know them and possibly have a target in there. You know what's funny about him saying that, Cody, is I was listening to an interview. This is totally, like I'm totally taking an exit off the highway here for a second.

Starting point is 00:23:30 But I was listening to an interview between Kay Adams and Sean McVey. And she was asking him about Ty Simpson. And Sean McVey was like, I bet you've watched more Ty Simpson than I have at this point. And he might not have been joking. I mean, just to hear these coaches, like they have to compartmentalize. So to circle that back to the point that I'm making, like with Sean Payton, it's not like he's being negligent or anything like that. It's, hey, you compartmentalize everything that you're doing over the course of an offseason

Starting point is 00:23:57 program. And now is when you hit the ground running with your draft class. And you've expected your scouts and your general manager, obviously, to have already done most of the heavy lifting to bring to you the guys that really could fit the program that you have in place. And that's what Sean is doing. And this will give him an opportunity to hear from the scouts, to hear from the front office, to hear from George. Peyton to watch these guys and to get his eyes on it because that's going to give these, you know, these coaches and these scouts and everybody a different perspective on the players. So I honestly, it might be surprising even a little bit to me and to others listening to

Starting point is 00:24:34 hear like, wow, he hasn't really done much watching draft prospects yet, but like Sean Peyton has a free agency to take care of. And he has obviously been hiring coaches and he's been doing other things. So it's not like he doesn't care, but you dive head first. when you compartmentalize that time or when you have that kind of set aside to do that. So now you've got just the better part of the month of April to get that done. And I'm excited to see now what rumors kind of start floating out? Because what do the Broncos want leaking out of the building now that Sean Peyton's watching draft prospects?

Starting point is 00:25:06 That'll make some fun content for us. Yeah. And they've already had a handful of different prospects in the building for top 30 visits. And usually sometimes when you're conducting these visits, it's to answer some of the questions maybe you still have lingering about a prospect, right? or it could just be just an introduction. Maybe you didn't get to interview a player at the NFL Combine and you want to know about this guy,

Starting point is 00:25:25 so you bring them in. But often at times, when you bring in a prospect for a visit, it's usually related to, hey, we have this concern or we want to know a little bit more about this and it gets you a chance to maybe get some of that information because at the Combine, you have to interview so many players and positions,

Starting point is 00:25:42 you're on a time crunch there. And that can be challenging. So the one thing I also found interesting from Sean when talking about identifying must, wants and needs for NFL free agency. He said, first you have to start with the draft. He said before our pre-free agency meetings, we look at the draft and we look at maybe where the positions are very good at, right?

Starting point is 00:26:00 Where there's depth. Then we circle all the way back to who's available in free agency. So we compare both. And now we identify, is this something we can address in the draft or is this something we have to address in free agency? I always found that approach to be interesting because it's not necessarily them addressing a specific prospect in the draft. It's saying, okay, this position has.

Starting point is 00:26:19 this much depth in it that maybe we like, maybe we'll have a chance at. And then they circle it back to who's available in free agency. And then it helps them make their decisions here. So I find that to be interesting here. Now, I'm curious in your opinion, where do you think they probably evaluate positions the most here? Which position do you think they're going to value? Like in our perspective, we would imagine it's running back.

Starting point is 00:26:41 They kind of gave a little bit of insight in that, tight end and linebacker here. Whereas now it's like they could have looked somewhere completely different. or their interests may be completely different than maybe what we in the widespread perception about their needs truly are. Yeah, it's really going to be fascinating to find out because like when you look at some of the top 30 visits that, and I know that the Broncos don't always draft the guys early that come in for top 30 visits, but like they're bringing in Eli Stowers from Vanderbilt, the tight end. They're bringing in Emmanuel. I think it's pregnon, the guard from Oregon, Cody.

Starting point is 00:27:14 So you might be familiar with his game there, but also, you know, a number of late round guys. Like they use the top 30 visits as recruiting tactic for those potential undrafted players to say, hey, like you get to envision being at this facility. And what a great recruiting tool that is because I know, I think it was Greg Penner said that Jalen Waddle was blown away by the facility. So just imagine being a rookie coming into the NFL and seeing it as well. So that's going to be a huge recruiting tactic for them. And it always has been. That's how at least under George Payton, right?

Starting point is 00:27:48 I feel like most of those top 30 visits are recruiting visits for undrafted guys. And so I'd be fascinated to find out if they shift that strategy a little bit. Because when you're picking at 62, now you're kind of like circling a little bit of a more of a, you know, small bullseye on the on the thing. You got to hit a smaller target, right? And so it's maybe differentiating because I think I think the team talked pretty significantly to Nick Benito, the year that they did. So I'd be curious.

Starting point is 00:28:18 see are they bringing in some of these guys to see who differentiates themselves as a pick at 62 or maybe somebody they look to move up for in round two. Yeah. And the challenge of having these top 30 visits too, like especially if you're trying to recruit and kind of pitch the idea. It's crazy because so much of it is out of the team's control in that situation because there could be another team that comes in and swoops in and drafts them. But I like what you mentioned about maybe the leverage of, hey, in case you go and drafted,

Starting point is 00:28:45 like we already have some background on you. this is a good sell for like if you do find yourself in that situation, this is why you should come to the mile high city as undrafted rookie phrygia. If that happens, I'm sure they don't say outright. Like if you go undrafted, I'm sure it's very professional in that sense. But going back to what you said about Nick Benito, remember like the sound bite, the clip of George Payton. He's, you know, at 64, he says, hey, we're going to go Benito here unless we get blown away by,

Starting point is 00:29:10 by something else. And then when they go to Pickman, he was like, Nick Benito, it's 64. Holy beep, you know, like that is where. things are at. You can find really good players here at this position, but you are right about that small bullseye is based on how the board falls, we really don't know who is going to be available at that point and what type of prospect you may have. Could there be a really good player that somehow slides for some unknown reason that maybe the Broncos can say, hey, you know what? While we didn't envision this, this guy's here, let's do it because they didn't think Nick Benito was going to be there

Starting point is 00:29:40 at 64, but he was. And look how it has worked out here for the Denver Broncos. This is what has me excited is because there is always this mystery. There's this allure. And luckily for us this year, you know, when we talk about mock drafts as we start diving a little bit deeper into the draft coming up in the next couple of weeks, it's Devere doesn't have a first round pick. Jalen Waddle is essentially their first round pick this year. So Broncos country celebrate that. But now it starts to become a little bit more who are the Broncos going to get, especially with the premier picks that they do have without having a third round pick. You got a second, two fourths, a fifth and three sevenths are the Broncos going to roll into the draft with that specifically

Starting point is 00:30:17 where they're going to maneuver. I imagine there's going to be some movement is going to be up, is it going to be down. Who knows? We're going to find out here, Broncos country. But one thing that we can guarantee is that you're always going to have coverage from us here, Locked on Broncos. If you want to support the show, like Sarah mentioned earlier, check out the Everydayer Club. It's in the show notes down below we're locked on Broncos.

Starting point is 00:30:34 Supercast.com. Check it out today. It's a great way to support the show. You get an ad-free version. The All Access Club grants you access to all 22 film breakdown. and exclusive content that you don't get here specifically on this specific podcast. We appreciate you, Broncos country. We'll see you tomorrow for a brand new episode of the show.

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