The long wait is finally over as the 2024 NFL Draft is finally underway and the Denver Broncos have selected their hopeful quarterback of the future, Bo Nix.
Denver has been in a seemingly endless cycle of QB misery since the retirement of Peyton Manning, and with the most recent colossal Broncos’ failure, Russell Wilson, gearing up to play for the Steelers this season, Denver entered the offseason with a massive need at the most important position in pro sports.
As the opening days of free agency came and went, questions arose about Denver’s plan. Were they comfortable rolling into the season with just Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci? Was recent trade acquisition Zach Wilson going to be given an honest shot at a starting job in a new environment? Or, after multiple years with no first-rounders due to the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton trades, would Denver dig an even deeper hole packaging multiple first-rounders for a big move up to get a hopeful savior in the top five?
As the picks began to come off the board it felt less and less likely that Denver would select a first-round QB. As expected, Caleb Williams went number one, quickly followed by Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. The Falcons shocked everyone by taking Michael Penix at eight, and then the Vikings moved up with New York to select JJ McCarthy at pick 10. Surely Denver didn’t plan to pick the sixth QB in the draft at the 12th overall pick right? Right? RIGHT????
WRONG!
With the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft Denver, Sean Payton, and George Paton take University of Oregon QB, Bo Nix.
Nix is one of the most interesting QB prospects of my lifetime as he’s a unique case of COVID years and NIL transfers combining to make it feel like Nix has played college football for nearly a decade.
Early in his career at Auburn, Nix showed flashes of promise that were heavily overshadowed by his tendency to compound mistakes, erratic decision-making, and inconsistent accuracy.
Ending the 2021 season, it seemed as though Bo Nix’s story was written with little hope for a future as an NFL starter. This all changed when he transferred to Oregon and was placed in a healthy QB environment surrounded by NFL-caliber talent and coaching.
Quickly Nix’s game became much more oriented around the Oregon system with lots of underneath throws, quick reads, and pre-snap adjustments. We saw the guy who struggled to work within structure become arguably the best “system quarterback” in college football in a single offseason.
Oregon went 10-3 in Nix’s first season as a starter, before he entered his final form as a fifth-year senior.
Bo Nix scored 51 all-purpose TDs in his final Oregon season and protected the ball better than any QB in college football. While the Oregon offense structurally inflated his numbers with a reliance on underneath passes and the Ducks, as a whole, stomped most of the opponents they faced, Nix looked how you’d expect a fifth-year starting quarterback to look.
He showed comfort and poise operating the offense and rarely looking flustered or unsure where to go with the ball. His processing speed was great and you could see his recognition of when to hurry the tempo of his drops and rush throws into closing windows.
He has plenty of arm talent with touch to layer throws over the middle and a decent understanding of receiver leverage for placing passes where defenders can’t reach them. He’s a workable athlete with above-average placement when throwing on the move. He also brings pro-ready size and footwork, which has to be a huge plus for Sean Payton.
All-in-all Bo Nix is an adequate starter who arguably has the highest day one floor of any QB in this class. He doesn’t possess glaring red flags but he does have limitations, which can be worrisome when trying to build teams to compete with Patrick Mahomes.
Nix is very dependent on feeling comfortable and in control of the offense he’s working in, which provides hope for his partnership with Sean Payton – someone who will work tirelessly to make his quarterbacks’ lives easier.
Still, when the bullets are flying and you need your quarterback to go out and win you a game, Nix might not be the guy you want. It’s worrying to see a quarterback seemingly lean a bit too far towards playing it safe, before even reaching the NFL. Oregon’s offensive line was great and overmatched a lot of opponents they faced, so will Bo Nix look as confident playing behind a Denver Broncos offensive line that’s given up some of the most sacks in the league over the past few seasons?
Only time will tell.
Regardless, it’s exciting times in Denver. The Sean Payton/Bo Nix era is officially here and we won’t have to spend a season arguing about Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. No matter what happens, that’s a win.
