Denver Broncos say they knew ex-Youngstown State star Jaleel McLaughlin would stay
From the remarkable number of four undrafted rookies making the Denver Broncos roster out of training camp, skill-position players like former Youngstown State standout running back Jaleel McClaughlin really stood out.
Credit goes to how well the Broncos front office, led by GM George Paton, managed to identify talent in 2023 the NFL draft process. And beyond that, closing the deals to get them in Denver.
Why did the Denver Broncos keep Jaleel McLaughlin?
On Tuesday, following the Broncos’ final roster cuts, Paton lifted the lid on the complex mechanics involved in locating under-the-radar talent. He started with McLaughlin.
“We were recruiting him,” Paton said of McLaughlin. “We were hoping he would be undrafted... You start recruiting these guys early in the process, especially the guys that aren’t going to get drafted. It’s part of the interview process. We thought he was a good player. We didn’t quite know what we were getting. You never know with [college] free agents and what you’re quite getting.”
Standing at only 5-foot-7, McLaughlin’s record-breaking NCAA resume ran into the traditional issues with the NFL’s stubborn prototypes. As Paton admitted, the Broncos also pushed their luck to acquire McLaughlin, but they had a library of tape to reference.
How Jaleel McLaughlin overcame concerns about his height
As things turned out, shortly after arriving, McLaughlin started making all those height and size concerns seem rather ridiculous.
“He went to two schools, obviously. The tape was good, but we’ve had a lot of those guys over the years when they come in here,” Paton said of McLaughlin. “He passed every test. From the minute he showed up in rookie minicamp, it wasn’t too big. Then we get the pads on, and he makes plays every day. We were really not surprised. We were all looking forward to the first game to see what he could do, and he made plays every game.
McLaughlin’s impact during the preseason, which led to him making the final cut in Denver, didn’t surprise anyone. That includes head coach Sean Payton, who knew the rookie had the right stuff after Denver’s second preseason contest in San Francisco.
“In San Francisco, when the game ended, I knew he was on track to be on our team or someone else’s if we chose not to put him on our roster (laughs),” Payton said of McLaughlin. “I think that was a big game for him. I said this—and you guys have watched the practices. It wasn’t anything that surprised us. We had seen it. To his credit, it was pretty consistent.”
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This story was originally published September 8, 2023 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Denver Broncos say they knew ex-Youngstown State star Jaleel McLaughlin would stay."