The Denver Broncos did their homework before pulling off a blockbuster trade for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
That much was evident in a piece published by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated on Monday morning.
Breer did an in-depth look at how the deal went down, with plenty of interesting nuggets, including that this had been in the works for several months.
But perhaps the most eye-opening was the fact that both Broncos QB Bo Nix and legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban were consulted before the move.
According to Breer, “(George) Paton’s staff was already doing background work on Waddle. Bo Nix told Paton that, in the 2019 Iron Bowl, Waddle put together one of the greatest individual games he’d ever seen, even as Nix’s Auburn team beat Waddle’s Alabama team 48–45.”
In that game Waddle had four catches for 98 yards and three of them went for touchdowns. Even on the other sideline with Auburn, Bo Nix could tell that Alabama had a special wide receiver in Waddle. Clearly, Nix told Paton his thoughts on the deal and one has to think he’s elated to have another playmaker to throw the football to.
Also, Nick Saban was a resource for the Broncos. Sean Payton hinted at that in an interview with Kay Adams over the weekend and Breer had further reporting on it.
“One of Paton’s scouts with a tight relationship with Nick Saban reached out, and Saban told him that Waddle was competitive, tough, sudden, and could drop his weight as fast as anyone he’d ever coached,” Breer wrote.
When arguably the greatest college football coach of all-time gives that kind of endorsement, you listen. The Broncos did and pulled the trigger, sending a first-round pick and third-round pick to secure Waddle from the Dolphins.
The two teams also exchanged fourth-round selections, with Denver moving up 19 slots.
To read Breer’s full look at the trade, click here.
