Broncos’ 1st-Round Pick Tops List of ‘Impact’ Rookie QBs

Getty Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.

The 2024 NFL draft was historic in many ways: It featured the most offensive players selected in the first round and the most consecutive offensive players selected to start a draft and it tied the 1983 NFL draft for the most quarterbacks selected in the first round.

Bo Nix was the last of the six quarterbacks who went in the first 12 picks, getting drafted by the Denver Broncos. It’s Nix whom Bleacher Report’s Brett Sobleski has tabbed as the rookie quarterback who will make the biggest impact early in 2024.

“Maybe Nix isn’t the next Drew Brees,” Sobleski wrote on July 5. “It would be unfair to even place those expectations on the incoming quarterback. However, Nix’s landing spot is the ideal setup for him to contribute at a relatively high level early in his career, even if he’s somewhat limited compared to the other options from this year’s rookie class.”

While Nix isn’t officially the Broncos’ starting quarterback yet — he’s still in a three-way race with veterans Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham — all signs point to the Nix era starting in Denver in 2024.

Bo Nix Doing Everything in His Power to Win Over Broncos

By all appearances, Nix is doing everything in his power to win the starting job for the Broncos and has been winning over teammates and coaches in the process.

“Early returns on Bo Nix’s development has been overwhelmingly positive…” NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero said recently. “The way he’s ingratiated himself into the locker room, the way he’s ingratiated into that quarterback room. The way [offensive coordinator] Joe Lombardi says that Nix rarely makes the same mistake twice … nothing seems to be too big for Bo Nix, and they’ve been nothing but pleased with, so far, his early development there.”

Nix has a rare kind of experience thanks to five seasons as the starter at Auburn and Oregon, when he set the FBS record with 61 starts. Nix was never better than his final college season, when Oregon went 12-2 as Nix threw for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and 3 interceptions along with setting the NCAA single-season record by completing 77.4% of his passes.

The rest of the rookie quarterback rankings were No. 2 Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders), No. 3 Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears), 4. J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings), No. 5 Drake Maye (New England Patriots) and No. 6 Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta Falcons).

Could the Broncos Be Historically Bad in 2024?

According to Vegas Insiders, the Broncos are projected to have a historically bad season in 2024, with their over/under win total set at 5.5 wins just one season after going 8-9 in 2023 and barely missing out on the playoffs.

The Broncos haven’t made the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl following the 2015 season and haven’t had a winning season since 2016.

The team’s foundation has been shaken in recent years — the Broncos traded a massive amount of capital for quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022 and signed him to a 5-year, $245 million contract and released him after two seasons with $85 million in dead cap money spread over the next two seasons.

In 2023, the team brought in a new head coach with Super Bowl winner Sean Payton at another high cost, sending a 2023 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for Payton’s rights.