The Lead

The latest general manager photo at the NFL's Annual Meeting had a decidedly Broncos flair.

In addition to General Manager George Paton, who stood second from the left in the second row, there were a number of top personnel executives with Denver ties.

The Jets' Darren Mougey, the 49ers' John Lynch, the Raiders' John Spytek and Commanders' Adam Peters all gained experience in Denver working under former general manager John Elway, and that GM tree was the focus of a recent ESPN feature.

"I learned so much," Lynch told ESPN's Jeff Legwold. "I'm not sure if I'm in this position if I don't see it done that way with those people. You can't see years ahead in that moment ... but that foundational desire for people to want to pull in the same direction to succeed -- I saw that there, right from John on down to all of us."

Former Raiders GM Dave Ziegler and former Raiders interm GM Champ Kelly were also members of the staff, which the six men were part of from 2013-15.

"I think we all had aspirations, but you were so focused on the tasks," Mougey told ESPN. "Nobody was sitting around like, 'Man, I'm going to be such a GM' ... [but] I always felt like it was a talented group. You'd just watch how they worked and how they treated people and know if you got the chance to do this, you'd want it to feel like that."

The group helped build a roster that won a series of division championships and an eventual world championship in Super Bowl 50. And they learned from Elway, whose second act helped Denver capture another title.

"Elway always did such a good job of bringing people in and still letting you know you had a place and a voice," Peters told ESPN. "Some places you might be just a scout, or just pro personnel, or just an intern, but you never felt you were 'just' there; you were heard. I remember that, and try to keep that with me as I do this."

The members of that staff have remained close over the years as they've continued their careers, and they carved out roles leading teams.

"I don't know if there is a record for GMs out of one place, but this has got to be close," former Broncos executive Matt Russell told ESPN. "A rare thing."

For more on the Broncos' staff and what they've gone on to accomplish, click here.