ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton prepare for their fourth draft together, they face a familiar scenario as they aim to add to the Broncos' talented roster.

After acquiring wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in a trade with the Miami Dolphins, the Broncos currently do not hold a first-round selection and are slated to make their first pick in the second round. Paton, who noted he and Payton have experience finding talent without a first-round pick, stressed that both the anticipation level and evaluation process have remained relatively unchanged.

"Our expectations are the same – they're high," Paton said Thursday. "We think there are good players in this draft. We think there are good players where we're picking at [No.] 62."

Added Payton: "The preparation is trying to properly grade each player that's in the draft. Certainly, there are some obvious ones, but nonetheless, you're trying to do that. … Then certainly later in the process, you obviously address where you're selecting. ... I don't know that [the situation] changes any, relative to the preparation for the draft."

In terms of addressing the current second-round selection, Paton said that "when you're trying to build your roster, you just want the best players." While depth at certain positions factors into the equation, the Broncos' general manager did not shy away from the idea of also building on existing strengths.

"We're always going to take the best player available, within reason," Paton said. "… You always want to build on a strength. I think we've done that since we arrived, and it has worked."

So, too, has adding critical pieces of the roster with later picks. Denver has specifically thrived with second-round selections since Paton's arrival: outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. and running back RJ Harvey were all chosen within a span of four selections — from No. 60 overall to No. 64 overall — and have found success during their tenures in Denver.

"A lot of it is the last line [of the scouting report], [which] is vision," Payton said of the draft process. "So, some are real good football players, and the initial vision might be, 'We see [him] as a situational player, special teams, feel like he's a starter within Year 2 or 3.' It can vary depending on what position that player plays, and they might have very similar grades. It's the vision within this roster."

Paton believes that some of that success in that range of the draft can be attributed to selecting "high-trait players" that have sometimes taken time to develop. He acknowledged that while it's ideal for a player to come in and contribute right away, the current talent level of the roster could make it difficult to "come in and start Day 1."

Nonetheless, he said he and Payton will continue to go through their typical pre-draft process as they evaluate their options at No. 62 and beyond.

"Our process has worked, and it continues to evolve," Paton said. "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 [late in the second round]. It doesn't mean anything. We still go through our process."

That process will also involve evaluating the flexibility that the team has with its draft capital. In addition to the second-round pick, the Broncos currently hold two fourth-round selections, one fifth-round pick and three seventh round-picks. Though Paton said it's "unlikely" that Denver will move into the first round, he shared that moving up within the second round remains a possibility.

"We like it," Paton said of the current picks Denver holds. "We don't mind it, and we know we still have flexibility with the seven picks to move up or move back and get more picks. We have experience with this. We've gotten good players with lesser picks, so we feel good."

With the draft just a week away, Payton said the evaluation process is "never really finished" and continues until the final moments.

"If the draft were in three weeks, we'd still be watching more tape up until that process just to make sure we got it right," Payton said.

Added Paton of learning from being in this scenario before: "It's very similar to what we have done. … Going through every possible scenario, so on draft day you aren't surprised. We haven't been surprised yet, and we've been happy with the results."