When the Denver Broncos first hired general manager George Paton, the word sent around the league was that the Broncos were bringing in one of the league's best eyes for talent. As his tenure has carried on, countless core pieces of a Broncos team that is now expected to contend for the AFC West are the product of Paton's scouting and drafting.
Whether it be a first-rounder such as Patrick Surtain, a seventh-rounder like Jonathan Cooper, or a Division-III product such as Quinn Meinerz, Paton has dominated the draft boards and has been busy rebuilding a Denver roster that seemed hopeless just 18 months ago, and seemed to be a roster that could end Paton's tenure.