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Broncos HC Reveals How Bo Nix 'Stood Out' From Other 1st-Round QBs
The Denver Broncos were very relieved to land the quarterback they wanted at pick 12 without having to trade up.
The Denver Broncos defied some of the pre-draft skeptics, taking Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12 overall on Thursday night. Many draftniks questioned Nix's first-round worthiness but not Sean Payton or Broncos GM George Paton.
Denver made Nix the sixth quarterback drafted in the first round. Six quarterbacks drafted in the top-12. That fact showcases the depth of the 2024 draft class, but also the abject need for quarterbacks across the NFL.
Lost amid the slavering over the quarterbacks who went No. 1, 2, and 3 was Nix's supremacy in several critical statistical areas that Payton highly prioritizes. The Broncos had eyes for Nix dating back weeks, and late Thursday night, Payton talked about how the Oregon product "stood out" from his fellow first-round QB brethren.
"I would say that probably early into the process, shortly after these workouts, he stood out in a lot of areas," Payton said on Thursday night following Round 1 of the draft. "You pay close attention to all the film study. Obviously, he’s played a lot of football, but [he stood out in] sack differential, turnover differential, accuracy, third-down passing. [He was] first, first, first, first in this class. First in end-of-half, first in end-of-game, two-minute situations, second in red zone. Then let’s do another passing statistic and remove a lot of the short, underneath throws. Obviously, that’s part of what they do offensively, and you remove that, and you come back with the analytics, and it’s still first. I would say his arm strength was—we saw it at the Pro Day—but even in the private workout, was very good. He’s super smart."
Will Nix be Denver's day-one starter? According to Payton, only if he proves himself worthy and out-competes the likes of Zach Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, and Ben DiNucci.
“These guys are all going to compete," Payton said. "We were really happy to bring Zach [Wilson] on board... Of course, we have Jarrett Stidham here and Ben [DiNucci]. So [Pro Football Hall of Fame Head Coach] Bill [Parcells] taught me a long time ago [to] just let them play. We have to maximize the reps that we have, and let them develop, and that stuff will sort itself out.”
Pay close attention to Payton's "maximize the reps that we have" comment. Not all QB reps are created equal in an NFL training camp, so it'll be interesting to see how Nix is postured by Payton.
Does Nix begin as QB1 in camp, and has to justify his position, as is often the case with a first-round rookie? Or will he have to start below the two more experienced guys in Wilson and Stidham, and out-compete them? If Payton wants Nix the 24-year-old Nix on the field sooner than later, the Broncos might not have time to go through the rigamarole of a truly open competition.
For his part, Paton wouldn't reveal his QB rankings, but he did acknowledge that Denver liked all the first-round quarterbacks. The GM put some film of Nix in front of his head coach, Payton, and after the Broncos brass spent time with all the quarterbacks, Nix rose to the top.
"We liked all of the quarterbacks. With Bo, we spent a lot of time, starting at the Senior Bowl, Combine, we did a private [workout] out there in Oregon," Paton said on Thursday night. "Sean probably wasn’t familiar with Bo early in the process, and then started watching tape [and] liked him a lot. He fit a lot of things Sean likes in a quarterback. The private workout where we spend just three hours just meeting with Bo, just getting to know him. Sean can talk about the test they gave him. Then, just watching him throw. So that was kind of the start, and then you get through more tape, and more tape and he was just an ideal fit for what we want here.”
Nix received a Herculean testimonial from his former college center Alex Forsyth, who was drafted in the seventh round by the Broncos last year. That glowing recommendation may not have been the reason why Denver drafted Nix, but it helped solifify the team's read on the Oregon signal-caller.
Forsyth raved about Nix's football IQ and pre-snap command — setting protections for the offensive line. Such a propensity is quite revealing to NFL coaches, and speaks to the player's preparation time and commitment.
“That process varies—sometimes teams do it with the center, sometimes teams do it with the quarterback. Whoever does it to begin with at the line, oftentimes you have to change into your cadence if the threat is somewhere else," Payton said. "You have to change where you’re bringing your protection. He does that pretty quickly. He processes fast. Sack reductions, sometimes, is the ability to process and deliver. It’s oftentimes hard for us to measure. But he is someone who can multitask. You see it on film. In talking with Alex [Forsyth] even—you try to hit every base and make sure the information you feel you’re seeing is correct. Alex went on like, ‘He was in the offensive line room, handling the protections, talking about what we’re going to do with these looks.’"
RELATED: 5 Reasons Broncos Defied Draft Experts to Take Bo Nix at No. 12
Nix was tagged with the dreaded "system quarterback" label ahead of the draft. The Broncos understood that much of what Nix produced was system-oriented, so when it came time to roll up their sleeves and study his tape with an eye toward how he projected for the NFL, they cut out the quick screens and focused elsewhere.
"So I think it’s that whole sum total of—then it’s also the ability to say, ‘This is where I want to go within the framework of this pass.’ Sure, some of those quick screens, but we cut those out," Payton said of Nix's tape. "We just looked at those as like he was asked to do it and he did it, and evaluated the intermediate, the down the field. You really try to evaluate third down, red zone. How is he doing with the game on the line? He excelled in those areas time and time again. I think some of that is processing.”
Early in the offseason, Payton talked about the importance of his QB having a "quick processor." That's one of the reasons Nix was linked to Denver for most of the offseason.
Like cleaves unto like. It's the law of attraction, or The Secret, as titled in the famous best-selling book. Perhaps Nix was always meant to land in Denver with Payton.
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