The Broncos have found a sweet spot in the 60s.

Late in the second round of the NFL draft in recent years, they have had success in grabbing outside linebacker Nik Bonitto at No. 64 in 2022, wide receiver-kick returner Marvin Mims Jr. at No. 63 in 2023 and running back R.J. Harvey at No. 60 in 2025.

At the April 23-25 draft in Pittsburgh, the Broncos’ first selection is in line to be No. 62 in the second round. So is general manager George Paton confident of the team making another keen selection?

“We’re going through our process,” he said. “Our process has worked and it continues to evolve. I think it’s better. I feel more prepared for this draft than I was for last year’s and the prior draft. We’ve done well in that realm. It doesn’t mean anything. We still go through our process.”

The process since Paton arrived in Denver in 2021 has included the selection of Bonitto, who has made two Pro Bowls and gotten an All-Pro second-team nod; Mims, who as a returner has been selected to two Pro Bowls and received one first-team and one second-team All-Pro nod; and Harvey, who rushed for 540 yards as a rookie with 12 total touchdowns.

In addition, the Broncos under Paton have made some notable picks past the second round. Guard Quinn Meinerz (No. 98 in 2021 third round) has been named first-team All-Pro twice and to a Pro Bowl. Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper (No. 239 in 2021 seventh round) has 27 sacks in the past three seasons. Center Luke Wattenberg (No. 171 in 2022 fifth round) has earned a lucrative contract extension. From the 2024 draft, linebacker Jonah Elliss (No. 76 in third round) and wide receiver Troy Franklin (No. 102 in fourth round) have been trending well.

“The best teams know it’s not just the first-round pick,” said NFL Network draft analyst Charles Davis. “The best teams know how to make hay in the middle of the draft and find people all the way through. The Broncos have been doing it. No reason to think they won’t continue to do it.”

The Broncos have seven overall picks in the draft. They also have two in the fourth round, one in the fifth and three in the seventh round.

Since the first NFL-AFL common draft in 1967, the Broncos have never had a No. 62 pick. If the Broncos want to rely on history, perhaps they will look to select a cornerback.

This century, five of the 26 players taken No. 62 have made a Pro Bowl, and three have been cornerbacks. Tim Jennings, selected by Indianapolis in 2006, made Pro Bowls with Chicago in 2012 and 2013. Casey Hayward, taken by Green Bay in 2012, was selected to Pro Bowls with the Chargers in 2016 and 2017. And James Bradberry, a 2016 pick by Carolina, made the Pro Bowl in 2020 with the Giants.

“I think when you’re trying to build your roster, you just want the best players,” said Paton, not ruling out adding to Denver’s secondary. “We are deep in the secondary, but you always want to build on a strength if possible.”

The other two players taken No. 62 this century to have made a Pro Bowl are wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, selected in 2017 by Pittsburgh and getting a nod in his second season, and tackle Brian O’Neill, drafted in 2018 by Minnesota and picked for Pro Bowls in 2021 and 2024.

Overall, the No. 62 pick has not produced many notable players. No player ever taken at that spot has made the Pro Football Hall of Fame and only one has been named first-team All-Pro. That was guard Ken Gray, selected by Green Bay in 1958 out of tiny Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, before being waived at the end of the preseason. He overcame that to be named All-Pro with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964 and overall was selected for six Pro Bowls with the Cardinals in a 13-year NFL career.

Other than Gray and the five players this century, the only other No. 62 pick to have made a Pro Bowl was wide receiver Tony Hill. Taken by Dallas in 1977, he was chosen for three in a 10-year Cowboys career.

There have been 90 players taken No. 62 since the first NFL draft in 1936. And while few future stars have been selected, there have been some notable names announced. Fred Funk was taken in 1937, Sherm Hinkebein in 1939, Shorty McWilliams in 1948, Myrl Greathouse in 1949, Ace Loomis in 1951, Danny Buggs in 1975, Jesse James in 1995 and Juice Scruggs in 2023.

Colorado running back Ted Woods was a No. 62 pick in 1962 by San Francisco, but he ended up playing in Canada. Buffaloes defensive back Terrence Wheatley went No. 62 to New England in 2008 and played three uninspiring NFL seasons. Highlands Ranch native and former Valor Christian High School star tackle Roger Rosengarten went No. 62 to Baltimore out of Washington in 2024. Rosengarten has played well and could be a future Pro Bowl pick.

“We think there are good players where we’re picking at 62,” Paton said of this year’s draft.

Stay tuned to see if Denver’s success in the 60s continues.