Broncos stay at No. 12 and select their quarterback of the future
Apr 25, 2024, 7:35 PM
Quarterbacks went early and often in the 2024 NFL Draft. And it wasn’t good news for the Denver Broncos.
Caleb Williams went No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears, as expected. He was followed by Jayden Daniels to the Washington Commanders and Drake Maye to the New England Patriots. Then, things got interesting.
The Atlanta Falcons surprised everyone by taking Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8. That got things rolling, with the Minnesota Vikings jumping up one spot to select J.J. McCarthy at No. 10, most likely to prevent the Broncos from moving ahead of them.
With the quarterback they’d been linked to for months off the board, Denver was left scrambling at No. 12. They had to reach for a quarterback.
The Broncos are taking Oregon QB Bo Nix.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 26, 2024
With the 12th-overall pick, the Broncos took the sixth quarterback off the board. They selected a player that many thought would still be available much later in the first round, especially with other teams in need of a QB having already made their pick.
Nix was a third-team All-American at Oregon in 2023. He was also the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein graded Nix as a second-round pick. He compared him to Tony Romo. His draft profile on NFL.com is a bit of a mixed bag.
“Rare five-year starting quarterback whose play has matured in front of our eyes. 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. Nix has shown great improvement with his pocket poise. He’s capable of moving the sticks as a scrambler or as part of the running game. Some of his gaudy production has been driven by the Oregon offense’s design, but his talent clearly stands out. I’ve harbored bias from watching the overwhelmed version of Nix during his Auburn days, but as the saying goes, ‘tape don’t lie.’ Nix appears more than ready to attack the league with an NFL-caliber skill set.”
After moving on from Russell Wilson during the offseason, the Broncos needed a quarterback. When they couldn’t move up from No. 12 to get one of the first five selected, they took the one that fell into their lap.
Bo Nix is the quarterback of the future in Denver.
