The Denver Broncos selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the No. 12 pick in Thursday’s first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The former Oregon Duck became the sixth passer taken in the first 12 picks and helped this year’s draft tie 1983’s record for most quarterbacks taken in Round 1.
The 6-foot-2, 214-pound quarterback elevated his draft stock with his excellent numbers during his two seasons as the starter for the Ducks. So much so that the 24-year-old passer landed a spot as a finalist for the 2023 Heisman Trophy.
He began a career at Auburn and became the immediate QB1 with 34 starts with the Tigers for three seasons (2019-2021). It also brought immediate pressure since his father, Patrick, is an Auburn legend after guiding the Tigers to an undefeated season in 1993. Nix had an up-and-down career at Auburn but rebounded extremely well at Oregon.
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‘The Beast’ breakdown
Nix ranked No. 44 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide: Nix gets in trouble when he plays loose with his technique and his eyes speed up on him, but he understands where to go with the football, and his scrambling can give defenses fits. Though it feels unlikely that he will ever rank among the 15 best quarterbacks in the NFL, he has the tools to become a middle-of-the-road starter.
Coaching intel
What two anonymous coaches had to say about Nix in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:
“He’s probably the best decision-maker of the three (Pac-12 QBs). He can diagnose things very quickly. He doesn’t have the arm talent that (Michael) Penix and Caleb (Williams) have, but I don’t know that he’s too far off. Most of his completions were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. He’s athletic and he’s a really competitive kid. He did a great job of picking us apart.”
“He’s an excellent manager of the game. Would’ve loved to see him in a different offense. That system didn’t require him to do much downfield, but you can see him launch it down the field to (Troy) Franklin a few times. I don’t think he throws it as well as Caleb and Penix.”
Why he’s a first-round pick
A change of venue for Nix made a noticeable difference in his play and a rise in his potential NFL career trajectory. Nix threw for 4,508 yards with 45 touchdowns and three interceptions, along with six rushing TDs in 2023. His major rise began in 2022 with 3,593 yards, 29 passing TDs, seven interceptions and 14 rushing TDs. His completion percentage went from an Auburn career-high 61.0 percent in 2021 to 71.9 percent in 2022 and capped off at 77.4 percent last season.
Bo Nix continues to show why he’s a Heisman favorite with another big-time performance for @Oregonfootball 🤩
33/40 | 398 Total Yards | 3 Total TDs pic.twitter.com/4t0pFoumeR
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 25, 2023
How he fits
Nix’s tape during his two seasons at Oregon was dotted with the kind of quick snap-to-throw movements and decisions head coach Sean Payton covets in a quarterback. The 24-year-old was sacked only five times last season. He threw 45 touchdowns and was picked off only three times. The son of a coach and former quarterback, Nix puts a premium on avoiding the kind of mistakes that spoil drives, and that’s likely where Denver’s infatuation in the draft process began.
Rookie impact
There won’t necessarily be pressure on Nix to start right away. The Broncos have veteran Jarrett Stidham under contract for one more season. New addition Zach Wilson, acquired earlier this week in a trade with the Jets, could be in the training camp mix, too. But first-round quarterbacks don’t sit long. And with 61 college starts at two marquee programs to his credit, Nix is one of the most prepared-to-play quarterbacks in the draft, even if he’s not gifted with the cannon arm of Drake Maye or the uncommon speed of Jayden Daniels.
Depth chart
Ever since the Broncos benched Russell Wilson in December, the focus was on what came next at quarterback. Denver sat out the quarterback market in free agency and pulled off the trade for Wilson, a reclamation project after three miserable years with the Jets, on Tuesday. The need for another young talent in the room was evident. The Broncos put the questions about their plan at the all-important position to bed early. Now, they can use the rest of the draft to start filling holes at numerous other spots on the roster.
They could have also picked …
A shutdown cornerback (Quinyon Mitchell). A ferocious pass rusher (Jared Verse). A dynamic tight end (Brock Bowers). The Broncos were in position to add an impact player at a position of need, no matter which route they took. Such are the holes Denver needs to fill on its roster.
No need for the Broncos, though, was more pronounced than the one they had at quarterback. Payton said when the offseason began that he was putting the onus on himself to pull the brakes on Denver’s never-ending carousel ride at quarterback. He got his guy in Nix, the first quarterback drafted by the team in the first round since Paxton Lynch in 2016.
Fast evaluation
Outside rankings would suggest the Broncos reached to draft Nix at No. 12. Dane Brugler, The Athletic’s top draft analyst, ranked him as a Day 2 prospect. Other experts did, too. But Payton said during the Super Bowl in February that if there was a quarterback in the draft he and the Broncos loved, he was “unconcerned” about where others thought that player should be drafted.
Nix’s ability to deliver the ball quickly and efficiently is a good place to start. He may not have the same diet of bubble screens and short throws available to him as he did at Oregon, but that’s still a significant opponent of Denver’s system. His talents and overall approach should blend well with what Payton wants out of the position, giving him a strong chance to start by Week 1.
(Photo: Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport / Getty Images)
