The Denver Broncos selected Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick of the NFL Draft late last month, but was he really the quarterback they wanted?
Nix was the last of six quarterbacks to fly off the board in the first round of the draft. There wasn’t another signal-caller taken until the fifth round, so this draft class was very top-heavy at the position.
The fact that Nix was the final signal-caller selected has led some to believe that the Broncos felt like they had to take him and would have much preferred to select someone else.
But Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated says that is not the case.
During a recent mailbag, Breer was asked whether or not Denver was really that keen on Nix, and he confirmed that the club did, in fact, love the University of Oregon standout.
“They had Nix as third among the quarterbacks,” Breer wrote. “They would’ve taken him over Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. And since it’s [Sean] Payton making this call, I think it really is worth paying attention to.”
So, basically, the Broncos only had Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels—who went Nos. 1 and 2 in the draft—ranked ahead of Nix.
That means that Denver got its guy, as Payton and Co. obviously knew that neither Williams nor Daniels would be available at No. 12.
Tell that to everyone who feels that the Broncos overdrafted Nix.
To be perfectly honest, they probably didn’t. The Las Vegas Raiders were picking one spot behind them, and they very well may have grabbed Nix if Denver decided to trade down.
Breer added that Payton loves the fact that Nix is largely mistake-free and noted that upon observing him in person, Payton realized Nix had a stronger arm than initially anticipated.
Nix is coming off of a fantastic 2023 campaign in which he threw for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 77.4 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 234 yards and six scores.
The 24-year-old began his collegiate career at Auburn and spent three seasons there before transferring to Oregon in 2022.
Nix enjoyed an impressive debut campaign with the Ducks, totaling 3,593 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven picks while completing 71.9 percent of his throws. He added 510 yards and 14 scores on the ground.
We’ll see if Bo Nix can become the franchise quarterback that the Broncos have been longing for ever since Peyton Manning retired.
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