Farmer knew Paton in his early high school days, and the two became close as their NFL careers overlapped.

"I knew that the Denver Broncos was finally the right fit for George Paton," Spielman said.

"I do think it's a roster that can develop quickly," Paton said in his first interview since being announced as the Broncos' new general manager.

Paton, previously the Vikings' vice president of player personnel/assistant general manager, becomes the 15th top personnel executive in Broncos history.

Learn more about the Broncos' new GM, from stories of his college football days to his rise through the NFL scouting ranks.

Klis touches on why Stark is on the Broncos' radar and what selecting an in-house candidate could mean for Denver.

Stark is the Broncos' director of college scouting.

"The guy gets people, which is an important trait to have if you're tasked with figuring out how they fit on a team," said Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Advocate and Times-Picayune.

Fontenot is the fourth candidate to complete an interview with the Broncos.

"Ziegler has not been on the front lines from a media perspective here in New England, but the folks I talk with regard him very highly – from his presentation to internal staff, to his command of a room, conviction, and knowledge of personnel," Reiss said.

Ziegler is the third candidate to interview with the Broncos.

"He had such a rare determination to overcome his circumstances. I think there's a lot of people who, if they were dealt the same hand of cards as he was, they would kind of throw their hands up in the air and say, 'Look, I've been dealt a bad hand and I really can't be expected to overcome this.' I think it pushed him into becoming everything that he did become," Pompei said.