Potential Broncos Target Bo Nix Omitted from Top Prospects List

Let the pre-draft festivities begin.

Due to the Denver Broncos' red-hot pursuit of answers at the quarterback spot, it's understandable that fans will be keeping close tabs on the 2024 NFL draft's top prospects and what figurative buckets they're grouped in.

On Wednesday, NFL.com's Bucky Brooks revealed such buckets in identifying his top five college players at every position. Brooks wasn't afraid to shake things up, bouncing one notable name and suggesting that two hot prospects are on the ascent.

The QB class features several intriguing prospects with franchise-player potential. Williams is the crown jewel of the class as an athletic gunslinger with elite playmaking skills. Although his 2023 season was a letdown after the high of his 2022 Heisman run, the USC standout has All-Pro-caliber talent. Daniels' slender frame might give some teams pause, but interested squads are smitten with his dynamic playmaking potential. The LSU standout dazzles on the perimeter as a dual-threat quarterback with elite talents as a runner and passer. Maye is coming off a disappointing final campaign in Chapel Hill, but he commands plenty of attention in scouting circles due to his prototypical dimensions and exceptional arm talent. Penix will have to answer questions about his injury history at Indiana, but there are no doubts about his toughness and arm talent. While McCarthy hasn't matched Penix in production, he has the athletic tools and winning pedigree to succeed at the next level.

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Most analysts, and even the more casual fans, will have the Big Three quarterbacks rolling off the tongue. Expect USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels, and North Carolina's Drake Maye to come off the board in sequence — No. 1 overall, No. 2, No. 3.

Inevitable trade rumors will run afoul in between, but even if there were to be major trades, the power trio should still be the first names called. Fanciful scenarios will come and go, especially as it relates to the Broncos and their alleged desire to push up from the 12th spot into the top three.

While that actuality isn't entirely outside the realms of possibility, it's more realistic to focus on the fact that Brooks currently has potential Denver target, Bo Nix of Oregon, on the outside of the top-five looking in.

Unsurprisingly, it's the rise of Michigan's proven winner, J.J. McCarthy, which is perhaps squeezing the more seasoned Nix out. McCarthy is fresh off winning a national championship, and his sparkling 27-1 record at Michigan is now rapidly propelling the 21-year-old up many a team's draft board.

On the flip side, it's a tad surprising to see Brooks pegging Washington signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. as his fourth-ranked QB prospect. Despite some well-documented injury problems early in his career, Penix showed great guts and durability during his senior year in the Pacific Northwest, all of which is now raising his draft stock substantially.

Also thrown into the mix is a supposed left-handed quarterback curse, a compelling conspiracy theory recently put forth by Pro Football Hall of Fame southpaw, Steve Young.

“By definition, by obvious scientific truth,” Young told Time Magazine, “football is biased against lefties.”

Now that we have discovered our man on the grassy knoll, we've got all the vital ingredients needed to head into what should be a hugely entertaining pre-draft extravaganza.

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