Getty Oregon quarterback Bo Nix
The Denver Broncos own pick No. 12 in the 2024 NFL Draft, and if the Las Vegas oddsmakers are right, Sean Payton will use that pick to take Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.
We are still a long way from Thursday, April 25, 2024, the day Round 1 of the NFL draft kicks off. However, with the Super Bowl now in the rearview mirror, it is officially draft season. And with that comes betting odds for certain teams to pick certain players.
Oregon signal-caller Bo Nix is in the mix to be the fourth QB off the board in April, and FanDuel (h/t Kyle Odegard of BettingOdds.com) thinks the Broncos will be the team to pick him. As of Feb. 12, Denver has the best odds (+240) to take Nix. The other teams in the mix are the Minnesota Vikings (+470), Las Vegas Raiders (+550), and the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints all at +1000.
Pros & Cons of Broncos Taking Bo Nix in 2024 NFL Draft
Let’s assume Vegas is right (because it seems like they are more often than not!) and discuss Bo Nix as the quarterback most likely to be the Broncos’ pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The first thing to consider is that the Broncos will have to take him at No. 12 or trade back to get him at a more reasonable spot. While Nix’s draft stock is all over the place in mid-February, the Broncos don’t have a second-round pick due to the Sean Payton trade with the Saints.
In some mock drafts, like the one from ESPN’s Matt Miller, Nix goes as high as No. 12 to the Broncos. However, in others, he is a late first-round pick (PFF has him at No. 30 to the Vikings) or even a second-rounder (The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner has him at No. 34 to the New England Patriots).
Why the disparity?
Nix turns 24 on Feb. 25, 2024, which makes him an older rookie quarterback with less room for upside than younger prospects. He is athletic and has an NFL-caliber arm, but despite five years of college football at Auburn and Oregon, he’s still inconsistent with his mechanics, in the pocket, and throwing in tight windows, as this Pro Football Network scouting report lays out.
Sean Payton Says He Doesn’t Know Who He’s Drafting
If the oddsmakers are right and the Broncos take Oregon’s Bo Nix in the 2024 NFL Draft, then they will know Sean Payton better than the head coach knows himself. That’s because leading into the Super Bowl, the Denver coach revealed that he and his staff hadn’t even started their draft prep yet.
“We start draft meetings Monday [after the Super Bowl],” Payton told Kay Adams on her “Up & Adams” show in Las Vegas. “I don’t even know the jersey numbers of these quarterbacks. We haven’t even seen ‘em yet.”
So, on Monday, Feb. 12, as this piece is published, Payton and his staff are likely just getting out of their first NFL draft meeting of the Broncos’ 2024 offseason.
Will they end up falling in love with Nix as the oddsmakers think? Will they end up liking what they see out of Penix Jr. or McCarthy better? Could they decide Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels are worth mortgaging the future for? Or does Payton see his shadow, guaranteeing 18 more weeks of Russell Wilson or Jarrett Stidham for Broncos fans?