ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the NFL Draft drew to within 24 hours, the suspense had dissipated.
The Broncos needed a quarterback and with their No. 12 overall selection, they had zeroed in Oregon star Bo Nix.
It became official Thursday night. The Broncos drafted Nix to be their quarterback of the future, and possibly their immediate present.
Sean Payton knows Bo. The Broncos head coach has known and liked Bo since Payton and general manager George Paton held a private workout with Nix (and receiver Troy Franklin and running back Bucky Irving, according to sources) on March 18 on the Oregon campus in Eugene, Ore.
Nix -- one of this year's older prospects at 24 years old -- threw for an astounding 45 touchdowns and 4,508 yards against just 3 interceptions in his second senior year for the Ducks in 2023.
He first played three years for Auburn before coaching changes led Nix to transfer to Oregon prior to the 2022 season,
“I think it just put everything together,’’ Nix said at his NFL Combine press conference March 1 about his move to Oregon. “Provided me with some freedoms and some chances. Some opportunities later in my career that I didn’t have earlier. We were able to be very versatile, get the ball everywhere, play under center, shotgun, play action, RPOs do it all at a high level.”
Because the COVID season of 2020 led the NCAA to give all players an extra year of eligiblity, Nix would up playing five seasons.
“Experience is one of the most valuable traits,’’ Nix said. “Repetition is the mother of all skills, the more you can do something the better you get. I think playing this game playing the sport has allowed me to get better each game, I was able to prove that as the years went on. Learning new things five systems in five years is a lot to learn, but it’s a lot of fun. Wouldn’t trade it for the world, it’s one of the best things that makes me, me.’’
With the Broncos, he joins a quarterbacks room that includes Jarrett Stidham, recently acquired Zach Wilson and Ben DiNucci.
Given Nix' maturity and experience, he may be the most NFL-ready quarterback in the draft. He should be ready to compete for the Broncos' starting job almost from the first day of training camp although Payton is expected to give his veteran QBs the first set of reps initially.
“The physical game will be the same, maybe a step or two faster,’’ Nix said about the jump to the NFL. “Most difficult thing will be to process at the speed it’s happening.’’
Bo Nix
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