Falcons' Jessie Bates Joked About Bo Nix's Lengthy College Career Before Broncos Game

Nix played five seasons of college football before he was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft by Denver.

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates speaks to the media on Friday, November 15, 2024. / Screengrab YouTube @AtlantaFalcons

As they prepare to face Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix in Week 11, the Atlanta Falcons' defense will only have 10 games worth of NFL film to study on the first-year pro.

But Falcons safety Jessie Bates III thinks the Falcons defense has enough film to determine Nix's tendencies.

"10 games, that's enough film to really see a quarterback's strengths, weaknesses, what they like to do," Bates told reporters Friday. "But yeah, it's not multiple years where we can go back and watch what he does."

But in some ways, Bates feels that the Atlanta defense has even more film on Nix than they would on other rookies, given the Broncos signal-caller's lengthy college career. Nix played five seasons of college football with the Auburn Tigers and Oregon Ducks, a fact that became something of a running joke among fans of the sport.

Bates himself even joked about Nix's extended stay in college football.

"We've been watching him in college for the past five or six years ... However long it was."

When one reporter mentioned that it was 10 years, Bates went along with the joke.

"10 years, yeah, whatever it is. He's not a rookie quarterback. Seems like he's a graduate student almost."

Bates went on to praise Nix, saying he's doing a "good job" of running Denver's offense. Nix has completed 63.6% of his passes for 1,968 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, adding another 290 yards and four scores on the ground. The rookie has led the Broncos to a 5-5 record.

The Falcons and Broncos kick off at 4:05 p.m. ET at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium on Sunday.

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