The Denver Broncos might have Russell Wilson’s successor.
With the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday, the Broncos selected Oregon QB Bo Nix -- arguably higher than anyone could have imagined him going not too long ago. But as soon as the Atlanta Falcons made the surprise pick of Michael Penix Jr., that made it five quarterbacks drafted in the first 10 selections.
Sean Payton and the Broncos had to know that they couldn’t get cute if they wanted Nix. There was no trading down from 12 and expecting Nix to still be on the board. But it’s possible that Payton has the perfect fit for his system in Denver.
The Heisman Trophy finalist enters the NFL with loads of experience, having started 61 games at Oregon and Auburn over five seasons. Nix won the starting gig at Auburn as a freshman and played under multiple coordinators in three seasons with the Tigers before becoming a Duck in 2022. Under Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, Nix shined.
Nix showed an ability to get the ball out rapidly, thriving in Oregon’s zone-read, quick-strike offense, which also will show up in the Broncos’ playbook, too -- much like how Drew Brees operated with Payton’s scheme in New Orleans.
At 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, Nix is solidly built and he sports big hands (10 1/8 inches). A starter from the jump, Nix was productive throughout his five-year college career but blew up in Eugene.
In three seasons at Auburn, Nix put up 7,251 passing yards with 39 touchdowns and 16 interceptions over 34 games. He ranks No. 3 in Auburn history in passing yards. In two campaigns at Oregon, Nix netted 8,101 yards with 74 touchdowns and 10 INTs. He set single-season records at Oregon for passing yards, completions and TD tosses.
Displaying developmental processes each of his five seasons, Nix sports good feet in the pocket, able to slide from pressure and extend plays. He can create with his feet and arm when a play breaks down. Some of his strongest throws came on the move. He’s also natural on QB draws and designed runs.
Nix displayed good pre-snap recognition and post-snap surveillance, consistently knowing where to go with the ball. His quick feet setup and fast trigger allow him to get the ball to his target. The QB’s compact release enables him to zip the ball all over the park with little wasted effort.
In 2023, Nix broke the FBS record for single-season completion percentage (77.4) previously held by Mac Jones. The QB also takes care of the ball, with only 26 picks thrown on 1,936 career pass attempts, including just three on 470 passes in 2023.
Spending five seasons in college, Nix, 24, is older than many rookies -- for comparison, he’s 19 months older than Texans QB C.J. Stroud. At times during his college career, Nix relied more on his arm strength than fundamentals to get the ball out, particularly against pressure, leading to some accuracy issues. There are also questions about how much he benefited from the offense he played in at Oregon. His average depth of target was only 6.8 yards in 2023 (third-lowest in FBS), with nearly 30 percent of his passes in 2023 thrown behind the line of scrimmage, per Pro Football Focus. As such, there will be questions about how he’ll respond outside his comfort zone at the pro level.
There is no question that the Broncos are getting a bonafide leader, as teammates and coaches boasted how Nix often acted as a coach on the field. Now comes the question of how quickly Nix can beat out Jarrett Stidham, Ben DiNucci and recent trade acquisition Zach Wilson.
Suddenly, Denver’s QB room is a lot deeper and a lot more interesting.