For Bo Nix, it’s about the process — and the processor

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Bo Nix passed the test last month.

And it wasn’t about how accurate he was in the workout that he had for the Broncos in Eugene, Ore. one day after his Pro Day.

See, Broncos coach Sean Payton wants to learn as much as he can about the processor possessed by his quarterback. Last month, he told media that he wants to learn how quickly a quarterback can ingest and apply information presented to him.

That’s why he sends reams of playbook and concept information to the quarterback late in the afternoon before an in-person meeting.

It’s an experience that puts unique stress on the quarterback. Prospect Spencer Rattler said the Broncos meeting forced the most study time of any sit-down with any team.

“If we send him information at 5 p.m. the prior day, we send him more than we think they’re going to have a chance to study,” Payton said last month. “We’ve all been in that position. It may not have been football. But 5 p.m. on a college Thursday, test on Friday and more than we have enough time to study.

“How do they handle that? Where’s the break point the next day? Is there one? Do they handle it really well? Do they really struggle? What time are they at the facility? Have they been preparing? Are they early?”

That’s what Bo Nix faced.

Bo Nix, on what he had to learn for his meeting with the Broncos and Sean Payton:

“It was a challenge. He wanted to see as late as possible he could give it, so that it was kind of a quick turnaround. But I feel like I played in many different systems and offenses …” pic.twitter.com/NdMTcKNeDs

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) April 26, 2024

“It was a challenge,” Nix said. “He wanted to see as late as possible he could give it so that it was kind of a quick turnaround.”

But Nix had something in his favor: experience with different schemes. His years at Auburn and Oregon saw five different offensive play-callers. So, he had a system for quickly absorbing as much information as possible.

“I feel like I played in many different systems and offenses, so all it is is really piecing things together and memorization at that point,” Nix said. “And then once you memorize it, you begin to learn it and it kind of becomes second nature.”

WHAT DOES HAVING A GOOD PROCESSOR MEAN?

Nix explained Friday when he met Denver-area media for the first time.

“So, it starts throughout the week with your preparation,” he said. “It starts with what you can learn and what you already know and how you can put it together, how you can collaborate with coaches and other players to form a game plan that’s going to best fit you and go out there and essentially execute it. You got to be as efficient as possible.

“So processing, to me, means taking something from the sideline, being able to evaluate it and see all the pros and the cons of the play and understand that whatever happens, you gotta react to it.”

And that’s just the beginning.

What does it mean for a QB to have a good processor?

Bo Nix: “… So, processing, to me, means taking something from the sideline, being able to evaluate it and see all the pros and the cons of the play & understand that whatever happens, you gotta react to it.” pic.twitter.com/Cw2JPPXrFY

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) April 27, 2024

“So every play starts — usually now in the league, starts with a huddle, starts with a play call. Then there’s probably a shift or a motion or a movement. There’s going to be a cadence. There’s going to be probably a primary play and a secondary play. You got to figure out it all, [and] this is just offense.

“So, now you’ve got to look at the defense and see what they’re in. You gotta see the front, through the linebackers to the safeties. And then once you see that, you just process everything. And then hopefully your preparation has led you up to the point to where you can find the solution.”

This is why finding the answer at quarterback can be so difficult. You can possess a bazooka of an arm, but if the processor falls short, it’s for naught once you get to the NFL.

Bo Nix’s superpower is his processor. And the Broncos are betting that it will outweigh the raw arm talent.

BUT THERE IS A RESPONSIBILITY FOR BO NIX …

… and it is to live up to the trust placed in him by Payton and the Broncos.

It is nearly incalculable what sits in Bo Nix’s hands. The future of the team and its ability to mount a sustained challenge to the Kansas City leviathan that has won eight-straight division titles. But the futures of Payton and general manger George Paton rest in his success or failure, along with many football staffers and assistant coaches.

He’s Payton’s first Round 1 quarterback brought in as a rookie.

“First and foremost, it’s just a huge honor. He could have picked anybody else in this draft, and he chose me,” Nix said.

“But with that comes great responsibility and one that I can’t take lightly and I won’t take for granted. But it starts with the next best thing that I can do. I’m about to finish this press conference and go and finish out the tour and then have a few weeks before the rookie minicamps.

“I have a lot to learn before then, and so, I’m glad there are two weeks of buffer time so that I can get a lot of that in. But just excited to be his guy, you know, that’s, you know, it’s not lightly said.”

Bo Nix, on being picked by Sean Payton:

“…I don't want to just be a draft pick. I want to be able to show my improvements & show that I can do what he picked me to do, & that's go out there & win games or help win games, do whatever I can to put his team in a better situation.” pic.twitter.com/pFHwOY4u0p

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) April 26, 2024

He’s accomplished something meaningful by making the NFL — and doing so as a first-round pick. No one can take away that distinction.

But it’s what comes next that determines his legacy — and with it, those of the people who brought him to Denver.

“I don’t want to just be a draft pick,” Nix said. “I want to be able to show my improvements and show that I can do what [Payton] picked me to do, and that’s go out there and win games or help win games, do whatever I can to put his team in a better situation.”