George Paton may be new to the head General Manager job, but he knocked the NFL Draft out of the park in his first go-around last year.

According to NFL Network, Payton’s draft was the second-best in the league in 2021, and that’s been evidenced by many first-year players who made an impact.

Patrick Surtain II is a blossoming superstar who shut down Jamar Chase, Odell Beckham Jr and others. Javonte Williams was a steal in the second and is poised to break out even further after a strong rookie campaign. Other standouts from the class include Quinn Meinerz, Baron Browning, Caden Sterns and Jonathan Cooper.

Now, partly thanks to trading away Von Miller mid-season smartly, Paton has the sixth-most draft capital in the NFL.

Of course, the most talked about pick the Broncos have is at No. 9 in the first round. Not only is that a key pick if they decide to gamble on a quarterback, but it’ll be important because other teams will come calling for it, too.

But Paton and the Broncos have five total picks in the Top 100, which is a boat-load. They are: Nos. 9, 40, 64, 75 and 96.

All told, Denver has 11 picks in this upcoming NFL Draft, and it’s a good thing, because they have many areas of need.

Even with selecting Surtain last year, the Broncos will likely lose Kyle Fuller and Bryce Callahan, meaning they need another corner or two. Inside linebacker could become a need depending on what happens with starters Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell, although the Broncos reportedly want to bring Jewell back.

Right tackle is still a major position of concern, as is the interior defensive line. And, of course, quarterback is the biggest glaring need of them all.

Luckily, not only can Paton fill in some of those gaps in the upcoming draft, he’ll be able to find fits in free agency, too. The Broncos’ $39.2M in cap space is the sixth-most in the NFL, just like their sixth-most draft capital.

Now, with Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s head coach, the Broncos are undergoing a rebuild and they’re hoping it’s a quick turnaround. That could have been made possible with the trade for Aaron Rodgers, but after all the drama surrounding the quarterback, the Packers can keep him.

Today, Paton is at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and will be speaking to the media in a few hours.