Russell Wilson Reveals How he, Broncos GM Found Montrell Washington

Things move extremely fast in the NFL, so much so, that sometimes one must slow down in order to take it all in. Thursday's blockbuster news of the Denver Broncos signing quarterback Russell Wilson two a massive five-year extension has once again sent fans spinning.

Pausing for a second allows one to observe the bond growing between Wilson and Broncos GM George Paton. Wilson was a springboard for Wilson when it came to the 2022 NFL draft, we learned.

On Thursday, Wilson revealed that it was a small-school wide receiver the Broncos would end up drafting who provided he and Paton with their first 'eureka' moment working together.

“I think that I’ll use the draft for example," Wilson said. "There are so many talented players in the draft every year. I love watching the guys. I love watching the receivers, the tight ends, running backs, and the lineman, too. I will never forget going into his office. He says, ‘Hey, come on in. I want to show you some clips. I have a bunch of receiver clips and stuff.’ We watched every single receiver. Literally. When I say every single receiver, we watched every single receiver for about a good hour and a half, two hours. We watched every single guy, and then we came across this guy named [WR] Montrell Washington. We looked at each other like, ‘He may be the one.’”

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The Broncos drafted Washington in the fifth round. The rookie would go on to quite handily make the 53-man roster out of camp.

Rumor had it that it was special teams coordinator Dwayne Stukes who pounded the table for the Broncos to draft Washington for his returner skills. True though that may be, it was the Wilson/Paton tandem who found and identified his skill-set.

Now that the new Walmart/Penner ownership group has conclusively proved it can turn front-office dreams into real-life contractual stability, you start to see how deadly serious it is about winning.

Having strong moneyed ownership, a deal-making GM, and a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback joining forces feels very much like a dream team in action. To such an extent, you could almost forget that the impetus for all the positive football vibes at Dove Valley have been due to ambitious first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

That being said, it hasn't slipped past Wilson, who noted how deeply immersed and distilled in the world of pro football Hackett actually is.

“With Coach Hackett—every day we get to go into the QB room, and he has something new for me every day,” Wilson said. “He’s got a new play—his innovation, his creativity. His creativity, but yet, his simple way of explaining the game and not overcomplicating the game because in the midst of chaos, you have to have a simple mind. I think that’s a big part of it and how he coaches quarterbacks. I think him being the ball boy for [Pro Football Hall of Famer] Joe Montana and all that back in the day probably helps. I get to thrive off of that. I think that trust has been built.”

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL.

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