How does Bo Nix fit with Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos?

The Denver Broncos have a new quarterback and, if all goes well, he’ll be the face of the franchise for the next decade or more.

Denver selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, 24, on Thursday with the 12th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Nix was the sixth quarterback off the board, and the final piece of a historic run on quarterbacks. He is the second highest-drafted quarterback in Broncos history.

Nix grew up an Auburn fan, thanks to his father’s stint as the school’s starting quarterback. A five-star recruit, Nix had plenty of options, but his decision was easy. He followed in his father’s footsteps. He won the starting job as a true freshman.

But after three tumultuous seasons, it was time to move on. He had completed less than 60% of his passes.

In 2022, Nix joined the Oregon Ducks. In his first season, he was second in the nation with a 71.9% completion percentage.

In 2023, Nix took another leap forward. He completed 77.4% of his passes, a new NCAA record. He also led the country in total completions, passing yards per attempt, passing touchdowns and total touchdowns. He was second in passing yards and passer rating.

In two years, Nix tranformed from a bust to a Heisman finalist.

Nix was a complicated draft prospect. How do you grapple with the difference in performance between Auburn and Oregon? How do you grapple with his age? How do you grapple with the fact that he set an NCAA record for career starts?

Nix still has the traits that made him the top quarterback recruit in the country. He’s 6-foot-2 and 214 pounds. He has big hands, plenty of mobility and a very solid arm at worst by NFL standards.

But is there still room to grow, or is the third-oldest first-round rookie quarterback in league history maxed out?

I cut up some clips from four of Nix’s games from his senior season at Oregon:

• The Pac-12 Championship loss to Washington
• The win over Caleb Williams’ USC
• The rivalry win over Oregon State
• The win over Utah’s high-end defense

Let’s dig in…

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