ENGLEWOOD, Colo — To understand why Bo Nix was the one and only quarterback for Denver even though five other quarterbacks were selected ahead of him, you have to understand the state of the Broncos.
This was a once successful, and still proud, franchise currently in a horrible seven-year losing slump. Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy may be better quarterback prospects than Nix because they are younger and therefore have a greater upside.
But the Broncos can’t wait for Maye or McCarthy or even Williams and Daniels to develop. Their peaks are in three or four years. The Broncos needed to turn their franchise around yesterday.
And Nix, more than any of the quarterbacks drafted ahead of him, may be the most NFL-ready quarterback. He may not be the best quarterback from this class in five years. But there’s a chance he’ll be the best quarterback in 2024.
“When you watch him, it’s pretty calming,’’ Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton said Thursday night after the first round of the NFL Draft was completed. “Very efficient. … One thing you use when you study it closely is guys who get sacked a lot in college tend to get sacked a lot in the NFL. … The ball comes out. And it comes out sometimes in a funny body position. He’s got a quick stroke. Extremely accurate.”
Payton said he watched Nix and Oregon play on TV last year. Payton was pleasantly surprised upon seeing Nix in person during the offseason evaluation process.
“I was surprised how big he was,’’ Payton said. “He was taller than 6-2. Close to 220 pounds. He’s the son of a coach. His father played at Auburn. I would say kind of a gym rat. He’s older, he’s married. … And I also like the fact that, there’s a few of these quarterbacks were battle tested. Meaning they had some adversity.”
Nix didn’t have a very good third year at Auburn following a coaching change. He wouldn’t have been a first-round draft pick when he was 21 as he left Auburn following the 2021 season to transfer to Oregon. With the Ducks, Nix came on and developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the country, posting an incredible 45 touchdown passes against just 3 interceptions last season.
“Early in this process, shortly after these workouts, he stood out,’’ Payton said. “Obviously, he’s played a lot of football but sack differential, turnover differential, accuracy, third-down passing – first, first, first, first in his class.
“And then his arm strength was – we saw it at the Pro Day but even his private workout was very good. He’s super smart.’’
Payton then mentioned how Broncos’ second-year center Alex Forsyth, who was Nix’s snapper at Oregon in 2022, endorsed the quarterback.
Payton said the Broncos were pretty confident the Minnesota Vikings picking No. 11 preferred McCarthy. He knew he liked Nix with the Broncos’ No. 12 selection. And they thought the Las Vegas Raiders wanted Michael Penix Jr. at No. 13.
But before any of that could happen, the Atlanta Falcons pulled a first-round shocker by taking Penix at No. 8 – even though the team had made the biggest free-agent signing with quarterback Kirk Cousins two months earlier. That had the Broncos worrying about getting jumped by the Raiders.
Bo Nix
“It got a little crazy there for a minute,’’ Payton said.
Payton added current quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and recently acquired Zach Wilson would get their reps with Nix and let it play out as to who will start.
Bet on Nix to play at some point in 2024, and sooner rather than later.
The second and third rounds of the NFL Draft will be held Friday. Currently, the Broncos don't have a second-round pick and must wait until the No. 76 selection to pick in the third round.
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