Fox Sports analyst: Bo Nix ‘reminds me of Drew Brees’

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix is already proving to be a polarizing draft prospect who appears headed for the mid-to-late part of the first round.

But Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt — who briefly played for Broncos coach Sean Payton not long after Payton became the New Orleans Saints’ coach in 2006 — sees a tantalizing comparison regarding Bo Nix.

“He, I think in a lot of ways, reminds me of Drew Brees — although not as prolific of a passer and more athletic as a runner,” Klatt said on Denver Sports/104.3 The Fan earlier this week.

.@CFBONFOX’s @joelklatt to @DenverSportsCom on Bo Nix’s #NFLDraft prospects: “He’s gonna knock it out of the park when he meets with teams face-to-face … He, I think in a lot of ways, reminds me of Drew Brees — although not as prolific of a passer & more athletic as a runner.” pic.twitter.com/3c4reTdf0H

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 12, 2024

“He is smart and makes those decisions as a point guard moreso than a guy that’s gonna stand in there and really drive the ball down the field like a (Michael) Penix (Jr.).”

Klatt has spoken highly of Penix, asserting that the Washington Huskies quarterback “fits Sean Payton perfectly.” And while Klatt has praise for Bo Nix, one thing that separates the two concepts is the types of throws made by each quarterback.

At this point, Penix appears more pro-ready.

“The hesitation you’re hearing in my voice is that, over the course of his 61 starts in college football, Bo was never asked to do what he would be asked to do in the NFL,” Klatt said. “And those transitions, man, are hard. They’re hard. And you see this with young quarterbacks all around. You even see it with a guy like Trevor Lawrence.”

Lawrence started from Day 1 in Jacksonville. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes sat for nearly a full year, not making his NFL starting debut until a meaningless season finale in Denver to close the 2017 season.

Kansas City’s patience helped Mahomes, Klatt said.

“This is why I think Pat Mahomes had so much success, is that he was able to sit and not get thrown in the fire early in his career, so, that’s an interesting one,” Klatt noted.

So, what might suit Bo Nix is a similar gestation as he learns how to execute pro concepts.

“He’s gonna knock it out of the park when he meets with teams face-to-face. Very mature, great head on his shoulders. Terrific player,” Klatt said.

“What he was asked to do at Oregon wasn’t really what he would be asked to do in Sean’s offense. Now, that doesn’t mean that he can’t do that.”

It just means Nix might need some time. And perhaps every team considering the Oregon Ducks’ Heisman Trophy finalist should keep that in mind.