The Denver Broncos don’t have a sure thing for their franchise’s future at quarterback with rookie Bo Nix, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
What they do have is someone who is beginning to win over his teammates and coaches through a steady diet of hard work through the first two months of the offseason.
The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider ran down a litany of Broncos with positive reactions to Nix and his play through OTAs, rookie minicamp and minicamp and the word that kept coming up was “maturity” — no surprise considering Nix set the FBS record with 61 career starts over five seasons at Auburn and Oregon.
“There is a maturity level,” Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi told Kosmider. “I think when you draft a guy who is a little bit older, you hope that that comes with it, but he’s certainly shown that. … You can feel his 61 games played in college. With experience, a calmness comes along with it. So he certainly doesn’t feel like a rookie.”
Nix is currently in a three-way battled to start with Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham. The Broncos’ rookies report to training camp in Englewood, Colorado, on July 17 followed by the veterans on July 23.
“With his sense of maturity, it almost feels like he’s been here before,” Denver right guard Quinn Meinerz said about Nix.
Nix Revived Career in Two Seasons at Oregon
Nix was about the furthest thing from an NFL prospect when he left Auburn for Oregon following three seasons in which he seemed to get worse each year, going from being SEC Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2019 to being benched in favor of T.J. Finley in 2021 under first-year head coach Bryan Harsin and ultimately suffering a season-ending injury.
“(In 2021), I was just kind of over it,” Nix told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd. “Each week it was something else. There was, quite frankly, nothing I could do about it. I just remember kind of being miserable. It wasn’t fun anymore.”
Harsin was fired midway through the 2022 season — after only 21 games as head coach — and Nix became one of college football’s biggest stars at Oregon.
Under head coach Dan Lanning, Nix went 22-5 as the Ducks’ starter and threw for a career-high 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and 3 interceptions as a senior in 2023. He also set the NCAA record by completing 77.4 percent of his passes.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Nix to former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and four-time Pro Bowler Tony Romo in his pre-draft evaluation.
“Rare five-year starting quarterback whose play has matured in front of our eyes,” Zierlein said. “Nix displays the accuracy, arm talent and athleticism consistent with today’s brand of pro quarterback. He can be punctual in getting the ball out at the top of his drop or he can work through progressions and beat defenses with second-reaction plays. He throws with good velocity and puts the ball on the money when throwing on the move.”
Broncos Have Whiffed on Picking First-Round QBs
The Broncos have whiffed on picking quarterbacks in the first round — the two best quarterbacks in franchise history were both No. 1 overall picks but John Elway and Peyton Manning were picked by different teams.
When the Broncos have been left with the choice, they’ve whiffed when picking a quarterback in the first round — as evidenced by their last two attempts.
Tim Tebow was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft and he went 8-6 as the starter over two seasons before he was traded to the New York Jets.
Paxton Lynch was the No. 26 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft and went 0-4 as the starter in two seasons before he was released.
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Broncos Rookie QB Praised for ‘Maturity’ in Offseason Work