Sean Payton Says Broncos Will 'Focus' on RBs in NFL Draft amid Ashton Jeanty Rumors

It isn't a secret that the Denver Broncos need to upgrade the running back position, with the common belief that it would be a priority during next week's NFL draft.

And head coach Sean Payton isn't exactly throwing cold water on that notion.

"There will be focus on the running back position," he told reporters Thursday. "It's a pretty good draft for running backs."

Payton added that a "real good defense and a real good running game" are the two best ways to assist a quarterback and that drafting a running back in the first round is a viable roster-building strategy if "you have a real clear vision for how you want to use them."

With Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime currently atop the depth chart at the position, addressing running back is a huge need. Whether that comes with the No. 20 overall selection in the first round remains to be seen.

If Austin Jeanty were to fall to Denver, it would probably be a no-brainer. Most draft experts consider him one of the most talented players in the draft (the B/R NFL Scouting Department ranked him No. 6 on its latest big board, while NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah had him at No. 3 on his and ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. had him at No. 4).

Suffice to say, most mocks don't have Jeanty falling out of the top 10. The B/R NFL Scouting Department mocked him to the Chicago Bears at No. 10 this week, for instance.

The Boise State running back has said the Broncos have shown plenty of interest in him, however.

"The Broncos, they [were] heavy on me," he told Overtime (h/t Zack Kelberman of SI.com). And the Las Vegas Raiders, they [were] heavy. Even while all the running backs were doing drills [at the NFL Scouting Combine], because I wasn't competing, they [were] talking to me the whole time."

The Broncos could always trade up for a player like Jeanty, though that would potentially be very expensive. A more likely scenario is either targeting a player like Omarion Hampton at No. 20 or waiting until the second or third day at the draft to address the position.

Either way, the Broncos are going to bolster the position. That's obvious enough. The running back they pick remains to be seen.