Legendary Former Alabama HC Pushes Back at Critics of Broncos Drafting Bo Nix

Nick Saban's read on Bo Nix falls in line with how the Denver Broncos viewed and valued the Oregon quarterback.

Oct 28, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix (10) talks with coaching / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

It's easy for fans to be overwhelmed by the seemingly unending stream of draft grades, most of which have been uncomplimentary toward the Denver Broncos thus far.

Only time will really tell whether Denver's bold selection of Oregon quarterback Bo Nix will prove successful, but in the meantime, many fans and analysts have been busy taking aim. Don't count long-time Alabama head coach Nick Saban among the Nix critics.

Saban very much likes what Nix brings to the table, and how it matches with what Broncos head coach Sean Payton will be doing on offense.

"Guys been through it and came out the other end very successfully out at Oregon," Saban said via ESPN. "And the thing I really like about Bo, and I've known him since his sophomore (year)—him and Kool-Aid McKinstry—played together in high school—is he's the most accurate guy in this draft. And everybody could say, 'Well, 70% of his balls were ten yards from the line of scrimmage.' But in Sean Payton's offense, you've got to get the ball out of your hand. You get it out quick, and you've got to be accurate. And I think he's a good fit."

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The media's fixation that the Broncos 'reached' for Nix at pick No. 12 overall is hard to dispel, but the selection must be framed in a much wider context. Payton was always looking for a specific type of signal caller to run his scheme.

That colossal truth seems to have escaped many folks in the media, but as Saban accurately points out, Nix was the best horse to back in this draft class. No matter which way you slice it, accuracy is still accuracy, and Payton understands that it boils down to Nix's ability to process information and make the right decision with the ball.

"You see it on film. In talking with [C] Alex [Forsyth] even—you try to hit every base and make sure the information you feel you're seeing is correct," Payton said of Nix post-draft. "Alex went on like, 'He was in the offensive line room, handling the protections, talking about what we're going to do with these looks.' So I think it's the whole sum total of—then it's also the ability to say, 'This is where I want to go within the framework of this pass.' Sure, some of those quick screens, but we cut those out. We just looked at those like he was asked to do it and he did it, and evaluated the intermediate, and down the field. You really try to evaluate third down, red zone. How is he doing with the game on the line? He's playing in Oregon early in the year, and he needs a drive here in the fourth quarter, and they get down in field-goal range, and they miss a field goal. He excelled in those areas time and time again. I think some of that is processing."

Other NFL teams may have had draft grades on Nix that differed from Denver's, but that it al amounts to a hill of beans. When push comes to shove, relationships are built on compatibility. 

Therein lies the rub for Denver pulling the trigger on Nix at the 12 spot. In the pre-draft process, Payton said he wanted to fall "in love" with a quarterback who had a "quick processor," and it sounds like he's done just that.

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