Jonah Coleman Shares Curious Details of Meeting With Payton & Webb

The Denver Broncos may have traded away a first and third-round pick to acquire wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins, but they still have seven picks in the upcoming NFL draft.

Regardless of splashy trade moves for high-profile stars, the Broncos' top brass will continue conducting face-to-face and virtual meetings with draft prospects from the college ranks.

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise to learn that University of Washington running back Jonah Coleman met with the Broncos at the NFL Combine, and they'll host him on a top-30 visit. After all, running back will remain a position of need that the Broncos would like to upgrade, despite J.K. Dobbins, Tyler Badie, and Jaleel McLaughlin all being re-signed this offseason.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

What might be considerably more interesting and revealing is how new Broncos offensive play-caller Davis Webb worked in tandem with head coach Sean Payton to interview Coleman in a formal meeting at the Combine. Thanks to The Denver Post's Luca Evans, we learned a little bit about how Coleman's meeting with the Broncos went.

"It was more so they was just showing the film, asking the questions. And it was like, I answered, more so," Coleman said via Evans. "I was talking the most, and it was mainly, like, 'What do you see here? What do you see here? What do you see here? What's this run right here? What's this run here?'"

"Taught me the way they formatted blitzes. And then, 'Okay, Jonah, if we get this look right here, who are you blocking? If you got this look, who are you blocking? If you got this look, we make this call, now who are you blocking?' So just being able to recite that to them was great."

Emphasis on Pass Protection

Sep 7, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies running back Jonah Coleman (1) walks off the field after the game against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Putting a firm emphasis on exactly what the 5-foot-8, 220-pound back could bring to the Broncos' pass protection was also echoed by Payton during their fairly intensive sit-down together.

Payton took the opportunity to look more closely into Coleman's football noggin and what he could bring to the table to help keep quarterback Bo Nix upright and healthy. No stone is being left unturned at Broncos HQ.

"We really just talked about pass protection. We talked about the run game, but it was more so my plays, because we run similar offenses. So just being able to recite the plays. And it was like, 'I asked you' because we run the same schemes, and we call it the same thing," Coleman explained via Evans.

"So just being able to go in there and know that I can catch onto the offense pretty quick, and the way they run protections, they described it to me—is pretty much the same thing that we ran in college. Slightly adjusted, just depending on the game plan and stuff. So coming in and learning fast, being able to play fast is ultimately the goal."

While it might have been Payton's opening gambit to establish the rudiments of pass protection, determining Coleman's familiarity with the offensive concepts the Broncos run was equally important.

The Takeaway

At some point in the draft, one would expect the Broncos to select a running back, but they might not plan to use a crucial pick on a player who might take additional time to develop.

This is why taking a more forensic approach to understanding Coleman's 22-year-old football IQ hasn't just been about getting Webb up to speed on how to obtain critical information from Denver's potential draftees.

How the Broncos' top offensive minds seemingly approached the Coleman interview suggests that Webb will be given more responsibility throughout the draft process. Webb is the Broncos' new offensive coordinator, after all, so fans shouldn't be too surprised.

Considering that Denver is bringing Coleman in for a top 30 visit after the intensive formal interview they had at the Combine, it's safe to say that the team is interested.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!