Broncos new quarterback was Sean Payton’s choice since at least private workout in Oregon on March 18.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo — Bo knows about the Broncos. He had a notion Denver would take him with its No. 12 overall pick.
“I had an idea because they showed interest,” Bo Nix said in a conference call with the Denver media Thursday minutes after the Broncos drafted the Oregon quarterback. “They came out to Eugene, had some Zooms and all that stuff. But to be honest with you, you never know until you get the phone call and you hear your name called on TV.’’
After Nix performed at the Oregon Pro Day, Broncos head coach Sean Payton, general manager George Paton, quarterbacks coach Davis Webb and other Bronco coaches ran Nix through a private workout. His Oregon teammates Troy Franklin, a receiver who should be selected by one of the 32 teams in Day 2 of the draft Friday, and running back Bucky Irving were also part of the workout.
As it turned out, Payton let everyone know during the NFL owners meetings last month he held a private workout with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He didn’t let anyone know he held a similar private workout with Nix.
“They brought a lot of guys out there to the private,” Nix said. “I was very honored to have them around. I know it’s tough to get to Eugene but I was super excited, super thrilled to work with him. Had a blast and I definitely saw a great relationship there at that moment so just happy to be a part of their team now.”
Even though the Broncos have returning starter Jarrett Stidham, and even though the team acquired once highly-touted Zach Wilson from the Jets on Monday, Nix will be the odds-on favorite to become Denver’s starting quarterback at some point in 2024. And probably sooner rather than later. He’s 24 — three years older than McCarthy — and has five years of college starting experience.
There’s much sense redshirting a 24-year-old quarterback. In fact, Nix may be the most NFL-ready QB among the six first-round quarterbacks in the draft.
“I know everybody has to compete, everybody has to go to work,” Nix said. “We haven’t had any conversations thus far past draft prep. But other than that I can’t wait to be around the locker room, can’t wait to get around the guys, meet all my new teammates and coaches and get to work.”
Others figured Nix was the best choice for the Broncos for a while. Last month, 9NEWS interviewed two QB analysts in Greg Cosell and former NFL quarterback Jim Miller.
Said Cosell: “I don’t have inside information at all about this but as a pure talent, (Nix) would strike me as a Sean Payton-type of quarterback. He executes the offense. And he does it smartly. He was incredibly sharp.
“I really like Bo Nix a lot. He’s incredibly smart. He’s incredibly aware. Executes the offense. He’s a ball distributor and an executer. And he does have movement ability. He does not have a big arm that could scare some off. He doesn’t have a power arm. And there are some throws where you kind of go, ‘Ooo.’ But I really like the way he plays.
“I’ve talked to Sean Payton over the years but I’m not going to sit here and tell you I know exactly how he thinks. But my sense is he wants a quarterback who is going to play with precise timing, precise rhythm, get the ball out. Throw it accurately. Run the system, yeah, make a play here and there outside of structure. But isn’t that what he wants? Russell Wilson even at his best was not a pure, timing quarterback.”
Said Miller: “I like Bo. They run a lot of wide receiver screens out there but he’s a fifth-year player, he’s got a lot of starts, he’s smart. He’s kind of like a poor-man’s Drew Brees. To me he’s at his ceiling. Much like J.J. McCarthy. He can run an offense. He can lead. He can move the chains. They ran a lot of wide receiver screens — too much for my liking, but he can move the team down the field. He had a good bowl game his year. (28 of 35, 336 yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 picks in 45-6 rout of Liberty). I watched him in the bowl game and you can tell he really takes charge.”
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