When Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton met with the media after the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, one thing became pretty clear early on — Sean Payton got the quarterback he was pining for through the whole pre-draft process.

However, the process wasn’t lacking in stress in that room for Payton and Paton. They had expected a team like the New York Giants to throw a wrench into things, but it ended up being the Atlanta Falcons who shocked everyone.

“Honestly, we felt like the Giants were the joker team in that there were three teams at the front that needed quarterbacks, Payton said last night. “Right, we all knew those teams: Chicago, Washington and New England. Then we knew there was a second stretch of Minnesota, Denver and the Raiders. So we kept [saying], ‘Man, are the Giants going to take one?’, because that then impacted how the last three were going to be. So when they didn’t, I think I said to George, ‘We think Minnesota likes [QB JJ] McCarthy. We don’t know this, but we think the Raiders like [QB Michael] Penix, and we like Nix. Let’s get on a conference call with all of them and say none of us spend any money. We think we know this.’ (laughs) Then Atlanta took Penix and then all of the sudden we’re paying attention to the team behind us. It got a little crazy there for a minute. The process was long and thorough, and man we’re excited. We’re excited. This was the night, tomorrow is the night where everyone says, ‘We got our guy.’ I told George, I said, ‘I think we’re in a position right where we’re at.”

If you are asking yourself why Denver ended up taking Bo Nix at #12 and didn’t bother attempting to trade back, then you can see why. The Falcons taking Michael Penix changed their entire dynamic and there was no way the Broncos were going to take a chance with the Las Vegas Raiders right behind them on letting Nix slide by.

Then the media asked Payton some questions about Nix the player and you could just see his demeanor change. He became quite animated and excited to talk about the Broncos new first-round quarterback and that is certainly something to get excited about.

“He’s extremely smart,” Payton said of the Broncos interview process. “We tried to send these guys similar tests—they were identical—the night before, 5:00 p.m., e-mailed the test. When I say the test, the series of first-, second-, third-day install. So quite a bit to study. [When it is] 5:00 p.m. and you get three days of install, and we’re meeting at 9 [o’clock] in the morning, it’s almost purposefully a little bit more than we think. Then at what point do they fail? In other words, it’s a lot.

“These guys all were really impressive. We got there at 9 a.m. and we gave him the test at 5 p.m. He’s sitting there in the office, and you could tell that he probably had been in the hotel room, do not disturb, pot of coffee, just grinding on it. So he’s extremely intelligent, really smart. He handled a lot of the protections. I gave you five or six different statistics. Negative play differential. When you watch him, it’s pretty calming. He’s very efficient, and it’s not just because of the [underneath throws]. You see a ton of NFL throws in their offense. His accuracy, he set an NCAA record. Then was he making the throws that we’re going to ask him to make? I think the one thing over the years, if you study it closely, guys that get sacked a lot in college tend to get sacked a lot in the NFL. Sometimes, that might be processing. Often times, we’ll look at the offensive line, the ball comes out and it comes out sometimes in funny body positions. He has a quick stroke.”

Being the son of a coach likely helped Bo Nix in ways that other quarterback prospects just can’t match. That he understands schemes and football likely adds to his quick processing abilities. All things that clearly gets Sean Payton excited to work with the young man.

Payton continued to talk about some of the other aspects to Nix that impressed them during the process that ultimately led to Denver happily taking him with that 12th overall selection.

“George and I watched his Pro Day on video, and the very next day we’re there for his private [workout],” Payton continued. “We tried to count, ‘All right, how many misses were there?’ One of them—it’s really amazing to see the location. When we have critical factors for certain positions, obviously at quarterback one of the critical factors is are they accurate? There has to be receivers, do they catch the ball well? Linebackers, do they… So he’s extremely accurate.

“I was surprised at how big he was. He was a little bit taller than 6’2”, close to 220 pounds. I had just watched TV games until we started the film process. So those were a few of the things. He’s the son of a coach. His father played at Auburn. I’d say he’s kind of a gym rat. He’s older; he’s married. It’s going to be hard for anyone to break 61 games [played] unless there’s another pandemic because he was able to play five years.”

The note about the pandemic is important too, because Bo Nix is 24 and played five seasons in college. If he is going to come into Denver and be that franchise quarterback, then he is going to have to be ready to start Week 1. Given how Sean Payton feels about Bo Nix, there is a good chance he’ll win out that starting job and be the Broncos start this season.

All of us in Broncos Country will be pulling for him to change the course of this franchise.

The Broncos have their quarterback.

They didn’t have to pay anything extra to get Oregon’s Bo Nix, either, though they also weren’t willing to risk losing him by trading back even a few spots from No. 12.

“We just didn’t want to overthink it,” general manager George Paton said. “This is our guy. Let’s just take our guy. We did think about (moving back). Not too far. We could have moved a couple of spots back, maybe got some picks, but this was our guy. Let’s just take him and not overthink it.

“We would have been sick if we’d lost him just for a couple of fifth-round picks.”

So instead Denver heads into Day 2 with just one pick to its name: No. 76 in the third round. If they stay there, 45 players will come off the board before they make their next pick.

Here are some of the best players available after Thursday’s first round. Though many of them will come off the board beginning with Buffalo at No. 33, but these are the players that could convince Denver to try to move up or could fall to the 70s.

RB Jonathan Brooks, Texas: Would probably be the unanimous top back in the class if not for a torn ACL in November and still could be the first back off the board. Brooks waited behind Bijan Robinson at UT and was having a great year (1,139 yards on 6.1 per) before the injury.

RB Jaylen Wright, Tennessee: A walking explosive play. Averaged 7.4 yards per carry for the Vols in 2023. He ran 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at 5-11 and 210 pounds, posted a 38-inch vertical and an 11-2 broad jump.

RB Marshawn Lloyd, USC: A guy who could be around when Denver’s second turn comes up. Lloyd is smooth catching the ball and has big-time ability in the open field. Ran 4.46 in the 40 at 220 pounds and averaged 7.1 per carry for the Trojans.

WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas: Rangy wideout at 6-2 and 205 who had 845 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds and can stress defenses in multiple ways.

WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia: Always open and has the versatility to play in the slot or outside. Ran 4.39 in the 40 at 6-foot and 186 pounds. Played in nine games in 2023 due to injury after 58 catches for 762 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022.

WR Keon Coleman, Florida State: Had 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023 after transferring from Michigan State. Big-time athlete played hoops for the Spartans, too. Ran a modest 4.61 in the 40 but is imposing at 6-3 and 213 pounds.

TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas: In the mix to be the second tight end off the board after Brock Bowers, who went No. 13. Sanders is a receiving threat who averaged 15.2 yards per catch as a junior. Doesn’t run particularly fast — 4.69-second 40-yard dash at the combine — but is dangerous in the receiving game at 6-4 and 250.

TE Ben Sinnott, Kansas State: A big senior year with 676 yards and six TDs. Similar size (6-4, 250) and timed speed to Sanders (4.68 at combine). Compiled 1,123 receiving yards and 10 TDs over two years starting

OL Roger Rosengarten, Washington: Highlands Ranch native who starred at Valor Christian and started the past two years at right tackle for the Huskies. Versatile player who can man three or four spots on the offensive line.

OL Kingsley Suamataia, BYU: Massive guy at 6-5 and 326 pounds who was a five-star player out of high school and turned pro after three college seasons. Started at right tackle in 2022 and left tackle last fall.

OL Dominic Puni, Kansas: First-team All-Big 12 selection who didn’t allow a sack in 342 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle in 2023 after playing left guard in 2022. Another guy who can play several positions up front.

OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon: The Broncos already have one of Nix’s former centers on the roster in Alex Forsyth. The other is Powers-Johnson, a tank of an interior offensive lineman who is likely to make a team very happy on Day 2.

Edge Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan: Big-time motor and relatively young at the position after playing TE in high school. Kneeland is 6-3 and 267 pounds.

Edge Chris Braswell, Alabama: Had 10.5 TFLs and 8.5 sacks for the Crimson Tide in 2023. Good athlete (ran 4.6 in the 40) who also had a pick-six and a blocked kick last fall.

Edge Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State: Played just up the road in Fort Collins and all he did was produce. Kamara had 13 sacks in 2023 and 29.5 for his career and likely played his way into the draft’s second day.

DL Johnny Newton, Illinois: A surprise fall out of the first round for Newton, who had offseason foot surgery. When healthy, he’s a menace inside. He should hear his name called quickly on Friday.

DL Kris Jenkins, Michigan: Never had huge production (eight TFLs, four sacks in 44 career games) but he’s an asset against the run. At 6-3 and 299, Jenkins has length and strength and ran 4.91 in the 40 at the combine.

DL Michael Hall, Ohio State: Hall is cut from the Dre’Mont Jones cloth and a Broncos option in the same range of the draft as Jones (third round). He’s 6-3 and 290 and has a big wingspan at better than 81 inches.

DL Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson: Orhorhoro is 6-4 and 294 and brings size and athleticism to the table. The Nigerian native has eight TFLs each of the past three seasons and 11.5 sacks over that span.

LB Junior Colson, Michigan: At 6-2 and 240 is more than big enough to patrol the middle of the field. Led the Wolverines in tackles the past two years while playing for a team that went 28-1 and won a national title.

CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa: A surprising fall out of the first round for DeJean, who broke his leg during his senior season but impressed at a workout earlier this month. He won’t last long Friday. Same likely goes for Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry and Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw.

CB T.J. Tampa, Iowa State: At 6-1 and 190, Tampa was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2023. Started for the Cyclones for two years and had eight TFLs in addition to the coverage work.

CB Andru Phillips, Kentucky: Not the biggest, but a feisty, tough player who stood out at the Senior Bowl. Denver may want more size at the position, but Phillips produced at 5-11. Ran 4.48 in the 40.

CB Max Melton, Rutgers: A 40-game collegiate starter who finished his career with 114 tackles, 22 passes defended and eight interceptions. Can play outside or in the slot.

S Tyler Nubin, Minnesota: A 55-game college career and school-record 13 interceptions who could have gone in the first round. He was named a first-team All-American in 2023 after he accounted for 53 tackles and five interceptions.

S Jaden Hicks, Washington State: Can do everything and is imposing at 6-2 and 215. He filled up the stat sheet in 2023, his third and final season, logging 79 tackles (six for loss), 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pair of picks while also blocking a kick.

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DENVER — The City of Denver will send one of its employees to El Paso, Texas, in the coming days to meet with immigrants and inform them of the new immigration strategy.

Victoria Aguilar, public information officer for Denver Human Services, will leave for El Paso on Saturday.

The city’s immigration strategy has shifted in recent weeks. Instead of focusing on helping all immigrants who arrive, the city is managing expectations.

“We want people to know what the new plan is. We don’t want them to think that it is the old plan,” said Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for Denver Human Services. “We know that often things are miscommunicated to folks before they ever arrive in Denver. We also know there’s a large number of people who arrive in Denver knowing nothing about Denver, having never intended to come to Denver.”

The city is limiting shelter stays to no more than 72 hours as it focuses on helping people through its Asylum Seekers Program.

Aguilar will spend about a month in El Paso. She wasn’t available for an interview on Thursday but Ewing, who is one of her colleagues, said Aguilar will meet with immigrants as well as nonprofit leaders while in Texas.

“What we wanted to do is go down there, have a conversation with folks on the ground in El Paso, and say, “What are people being told? What are they hearing before they even arrive in this country?” And see where the disconnect lies,” Ewing said.

Even though immigrants have put a strain on the city’s budget, Ewing said Aguilar’s visit to El Paso is not necessarily meant to discourage immigrants from coming to Denver. But it’s not meant to encourage them to come either.

“We don’t want to encourage people to come here and think that they’re getting six weeks of travel or six weeks of stay, that’s for sure,” Ewing said. “But no, it is not a means of discouraging people.”

Sarah Plastino, director of Denver’s Newcomer Program, said Aguilar will also meet with government officials in El Paso.

“She is a native Spanish speaker. She will be working on the ground with stakeholders, newcomers and government officials in El Paso to coordinate and inform people of our policy change and develop stronger relationships with people on the ground,” Plastino said.

Ewing said Aguilar made a short visit to El Paso after Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced the city’s new strategy earlier this month. Plastino said Aguilar has been provided with a desk in the migrant reception center in El Paso. Information about Denver’s new strategy is posted in the reception center and throughout bus terminals.

“We want those folks to have accurate information so that they can make the best decisions for themselves,” said Plastino.

Aguilar will leave for El Paso on Saturday.

Since December 2022, Denver has spent nearly $70 million providing support to over 41,000 new immigrants.