AFC Notes: George Paton, Trey Smith, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs

Broncos

Broncos GM George Paton said the team will target a running back in this upcoming draft and believes there are players in all three days that can make an impact for them.

“It’s a strong class,” Paton said, via the team’s website. “There are different flavors throughout the draft. I think you can get a good back in the second round up and all the way to the sixth round. That’s how it is. There’s just so many of them. The first- and second-down power back, you have the change-of-pace, you have the third-down [back] and you have the three-down [back]. [There are] not as many three-down backs, but it’s a good class. We’ll get a [running] back in this draft.”

Broncos HC Sean Payton outlined what he’s looking for when scouting running backs.

“I think ball security [is one thing] you’re looking for,” Payton said. “Some backs make positive yards most of the time, and that’s a trait that I think [is important]. There’s a feel, in other words. Some backs don’t have the same vision as others, meaning they’ll take a negative play.”

Paton noted that WR Marvin Mims, Jr. took a big leap in his second season and is looking for him to make another jump in his third year.

“He took that next step,” Paton said. “Sean used him a little differently than we had in the prior [year]. He’s just grown. He’s grown as a pro. You can see the confidence when he started getting touches and [when we] used him in different areas, he just took off. I think it has to do with confidence, kind of the way we used him and the way we incorporated him in our offense.”

Paton said that Payton has done a great job of developing the talent they bring in, even if they don’t see instant success.

“It’s a credit to Sean, it’s a credit to the staff how they develop these young players to take that next step,” Paton said. “They all grow at different [rates]. Like we talked about, Pat Surtain [II] walked in the door [and] he was Pat Surtain. But a lot of these guys, some get it in the second year, some get it in the third year. You can’t be overly patient, but you just have to keep developing your young players.”

Chargers

Daniel Popper of The Athletic did a Chargers mailbag answering questions about the upcoming draft and starting lineup for 2025.

• Starting with the receiver position, Popper says it’s “absolutely a priority” early in the draft and feels they need to address it in the draft even if they add a veteran like Keenan Allen or Amari Cooper.
• Popper thinks Los Angeles will give OL Zion Johnson “every opportunity to win the starting center job” and says it would be “their ideal outcome.” 
• At left guard, Popper doesn’t believe the starter is on the roster, and he feels they will find someone who can compete for the job early in the draft.
• UCLA LB Carson Schwesinger visited the Chargers. He counts as a local visit. (Jeremy Fowler)

Chiefs

Chiefs G Trey Smith provided an update on the potential extension he is looking to secure with the team after being franchise-tagged this offseason.

“Yeah, I just leave it all in my agents’ hands. I got Jimmy Sexton and Tory Dandy at CAA; they do a phenomenal job. We have Brett Veach, the whole front office staff; they’re phenomenal people,” Smith said, via ChiefsWire.com. “I love working with them as well. At the end of the day, we just keep working at it. I’m just excited. I know I’m coming back.”

“So that’s gonna be the best part about it. Just ready to go back to work and get back on that field and treatment, trying to get back to that goal, getting the Super Bowl,” Smith added. “But I just leave everything to my agents, you know, let them do all that, all the delegation of that matter. But I’m just focused on being great and just being 1% better every single day, so I can bring my best to be the best player I can for the organization.”