Bo Nix Proving Broncos Were Right to Draft Him as Their Guy

The Denver Broncos stayed true to their top target in the draft, and Bo Nix is already making hay.

Nov 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Last April, when the Denver Broncos selected quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the NFL draft, many analysts raised their eyebrows. Some called it a reach, while others questioned why the Broncos would take the sixth-ranked QB in the draft in the first round.

Fast forward to today and things are working out well for the Broncos and Nix. After struggling in the first few games of the season, Nix is playing better and has now entered the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Nix is turning into a good example of a philosophy I go by when it comes to drafting quarterbacks. It goes like this: "Don't draft the guy who people outside the organization like. Draft your guy."

The Broncos front office and coaching staff spent time looking at the top QB prospects in the draft. Though Denver liked Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, the Broncos knew that the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders had their sights set on those players and were likely to say no to any offer to trade down.

 But while they weren't saying much publicly about Nix, they were watching him closely and saw him as the guy who could run Sean Payton's offense.

We've seen the process unfold the way it should have. No doubt many Broncos fans wanted Nix to be named the starter from the day he was drafted, but Payton did the right thing by having the rookie earn the starting job. His competition may have been career backup Jarrett Stidham and first-round bust Zach Wilson, but Nix still had to prove himself.

After Nix claimed the starting job, he struggled to open the season. True, he did face two good defenses in the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers, but then he faced teams with weaker defenses, like the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets, and still had a lot of issues with his play.

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It's easy to blame factors such as the weather, the presence of Maxx Crosby or the lack of playmakers, but the reality was Nix didn't process his reads well at first and had issues with his mechanics. Nix wasn't controlling the controllables well.

But in the past few weeks, that has changed. There are throws that Nix had difficulty making early in the season which he is making now. His mechanics are more consistent and he's playing with more confidence.

Again, it's easy to look at the competition he's faced, but when you consider he was struggling early on against teams that have proven to be among the weaker teams in the NFL, it's still a sign of improvement. The bottom line is that, if a QB is going to make it in the NFL, he needs to show consistently good play, regardless of opponent.

Several games in the coming weeks will tell us a lot more about how far Nix has come. The Raiders, who are up next, will be one example. Remember that Nix struggled in the first half in the Week 5 matchup with the Raiders and was decent in the second half. If Nix puts four quarters of good play together this week, that's a good sign.

The other key game will be at the Los Angeles Chargers. In Week 6, Nix struggled in the first half against the Chargers and didn't get on track until midway through the third quarter. In Week 16, the teams will meet again, and if Nix puts together four good quarters of play, it's another sign of improvement, particularly because the Chargers have a good defense.

It has helped that Payton has adjusted his play calling to focus not just on what Nix does well, but to find ways to maximize the personnel on offense. Also, the pass protection has been good overall.

But this all started with the Broncos identifying Nix as a QB they loved and, when it was time to make a selection at No. 12 overall, they decided Nix was their guy.

There are still six more games to play, plus a possible playoff trip, so Nix has more to prove. But at the rate things are going, it won't surprise me if he keeps improving and further shows that the Broncos were right to identify them as the QB to build around.

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