Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett Admits he Hasn't 'Done as Much' in Preparing for NFL Draft

Every NFL executive knows that the league doesn't hand out awards for the best offseason. That doesn’t mean the offseason process doesn’t matter, obviously, especially with free agents still available and the NFL draft looming on the near horizon.

Throw in the Denver Broncos' seismic trade for nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson and GM George Paton would have to be ranked ahead of his front-office peers if we were simply looking at respective batting averages.

Along the way, Paton is quickly changing the organizational culture at Dove Valley. Essential to turning around the previously listing ship is establishing a strong bond of understanding between himself and first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

On Monday, Hackett discussed just how quickly the Broncos' pivotal decision-makers are getting up to speed with each other and reading from the same page.

“George has been awesome. The starting point for us is just getting to know each other just like Russell and myself,” Hackett said from the NFL Owners meetings. “[We’re] understanding the different things that we look for as a coach and for the system—the different attributes for each guy. As he sees that, that’s when he kind of starts identifying it.”

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What could be described as a feeling-out process has been put on roller skates as the duo orchestrated an impressive free-agent haul, and pulled off the franchise-altering trade for a superstar quarterback. The Broncos' roster now appears to be in a comfortable state at most positions heading into the draft, which should allow Paton to stay disciplined to the 'best player available' approach in the draft.

Hackett’s focus will now be on spending more time with his new coaching staff while for Paton, it's all about getting ready for April's draft.

“Because of the staff and how we’ve done, I haven’t done as much for the draft,” Hackett said. “It’s one of those things that as we get closer in our evaluations, that’s when I’ll start doing more and just talking with George a lot—watching the tape, evaluating with him, and communicating.”

Hackett has banged the drum for his new collaborative approach to coaching, and scouting, ever since he landed the head coaching gig in Denver. For that coaching ethos to truly achieve the best results, it will need an open and fully transparent GM, and on that front, Hackett believes Paton is delivering.

“That’s the great thing about being with George up to this point. He’s an open book,” Hackett said. “He talks about what he thinks and what he wants, and then I kind of tell him how it’ll look and fit into the system. It’s been really great. We just have to keep that up through the draft.”

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL.

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