The Denver Broncos selected QB Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick Thursday night during the 2024 NFL Draft, and the rookie signal caller sounds ready to take on his challenge
There never should have been a doubt in anyone’s mind that the Denver Broncos would be selecting a QB with the team’s first pick during Thursday night’s NFL Draft, but the question of when and who were up for debate.
While mock draft “experts” continued to try and be cute leading up to the first round and having the Broncos go anywhere but QB with the pick (despite, you know…not having a starting caliber one on the team), it was as clear as a day that the team needed a QB like a human needs water to survive.
Sitting in an awkward spot at #12, though, Sean Payton wasn’t in a position to land any of the “shiny object” prospects, at least without giving a king’s ransom, so what he would ultimately do was of significant interest.
There had been rumors that he was ready to do whatever it took to move up for someone like Drake Maye or JJ McCarthy, and there were also whispers that he was interested in moving back to acquire a second-round pick but still in position to grab a QB who fits his scheme.
When it was all said and done, though, Payton stood confidently in that #12 spot and took the player he targeted all along in Oregon signal caller Bo Nix. While others debated what he would do, he had his sights set on Nix all along, attempting to keep it as close to the vest as possible.
“Once we knew this was our target, every time [NFL Network analyst] Chase Daniel or [ESPN analyst] Dan Orlovsky got on like, ‘This is perfect!’ I would be like, ‘Shh! Can you be quiet?’” he said. “You can’t control that…It’s difficult sometimes. You don’t want everyone to know that this is the player.”
The Nix pick has been graded somewhat consistently across the board, with the consensus being that the QB is a good player and fit for Sean Payton’s offense but picked too high. Basically a ‘C’ grade. Yet, that isn’t something Payton is going to care about, as he showed by opting to stick with the 12-spot rather than trade back and risk losing him.
Now, the Broncos and Payton have the player they hope to be the franchise QB. It is the first time Payton will be coaching a first-round rookie QB and the first time the Broncos have drafted a QB first since Paxton Lynch back in 2016.
Nix himself met with the media for the first time Friday afternoon and put on display and attitude that shows he understands the expectations that have been set.
“I don’t want to just be a draft pick,” he said. “I want to be able to show my improvements & show that I can do what he picked me to do, and that’s to go out there and win games or help win games and to do whatever I can to put his team in a better situation.”
Not exactly known for being someone to handle anything or anyone with kid gloves, Sean Payton met with Nix before the draft and didn’t shy away from challenging the young QB with some tough questions and scenarios.
“It was a challenge (meeting with Payton),” Nix said. “He wanted to see me as late as possible, so that it was kind of a quick turnaround. But I feel like I played in many different systems and offenses, so all it is is really piecing things together and memorization at that point. And then once you memorize it, you begin to learn it and it kind of becomes second nature. I’m excited to get even more in-depth with what I’ve already been able to learn.”
Nix credited Payton with his ability to explain what exactly he wanted out of his QB and out of the offense, which made Nix sit a bit easier.
“When we had the meeting, they were great at teaching,” he said. “After the meeting, I had such a better understanding of (the system) than I had when I was just trying to study it on my own. All you can really do now is hit it head on.”
Now, like it, love it, hate it, or loathe it, the Broncos have someone they hope finally becomes the long-term QB they’ve desired so they can finally stop playing QB musical chairs. And Sean Payton, after a nasty split with former QB Russell Wilson, has HIS guy that he hopes can take this team back to the playoffs.
Any time there is a QB taken in the first round who is NOT a consensus superstar in waiting (which even those don’t always work out), questions are going to be asked, and it doesn’t come without risk. Yet, the Broncos have been without a QB for too long, so even if it’s a reach, according to some, this is the pick the team absolutely had to make. For better or worse.
And it seems like Nix understands that.
“It’s just a huge honor, as (Payton) could’ve picked anyone else in this draft, but he picked me,” he said. “But with that comes great responsibility, and one that I won’t take lightly and one that I won’t take for granted. I’m just excited to be his guy, and that’s not lightly said.”
Nix certainly is going to try and silence doubters and critics who believe he was taken too high, but for now, he just hopes to take it step by step and help create a winning formula in the locker room.
“My goal for this year is to do whatever I can quite simply to help this franchise and organization succeed at a high level and win games,” he said. We have a great opportunity here. It’s an unreal organization. The fans are incredible. For me, I’ve just got to start from somewhere and grow each and every day to be the best player I can possibly be for my teammates and for my coaches.”
Broncos/NFL News
‘He stood out in a lot of areas’: Why QB Bo Nix was the right fit for the Denver Broncos
“When you watch him, it’s pretty calming,” Head Coach Sean Payton said. “He’s very efficient.”
‘It got a little crazy there’: How the Broncos navigated an unprecedented run on quarterbacks to draft QB Bo Nix
The minutes before Denver’s pick wouldn’t be without stress. The Falcons surprisingly selected Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth-overall pick, which threw the ensuing picks into flux.
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