Long before the NFL draft arrived in April, many pundits expressed that Oregon quarterback Bo Nix would be a perfect scheme fit for Sean Payton’s offense with the Denver Broncos.
Payton seemingly agreed with those pundits and used the team’s first-round pick to select Nix, who set the NCAA’s single-season record by completing 77.45% of his passes last fall. Nix has been compared to Drew Brees and his smart, efficient playing style should suit him well in Denver.
“I think when you look at their offense, when you look at the scheme, [there are] a lot of really fun concepts that I’ve run in the past, a lot of fun things that I’ve been able to do and have success in,” Nix said during a call with reporters on April 25. “We were able to just talk over those and communicate those. I believe just talking football is one of the best things you can do in the process and that’s what we did a lot of.”
The Broncos went to Nix’s pro day and met with him at the NFL combine before the draft. Ahead of their pre-draft meeting in Indianapolis, Payton gave Nix an intense study plan. The QB aced it.
“It was a challenge,” Nix said during his introductory press conference on April 26. “He wanted to see as late as possible as he could give it so it was kind of a quick turnaround. I felt like I’ve played in many different systems and offenses, so all it is just really piecing things together and memorization at that point. Then once you memorize it, you begin to learn it and it kind of becomes second nature.
“So I’m excited to get even more in depth with what I’ve already been able to learn. I felt like when they had that meeting, they were great at teaching it, and even after we left I had such a better understanding of what it was from when I was studying on my own. All you can do is just hit it head on. You just start and you go, you start at the top, and you go through it, and you learn it and you learn it the best you can.”
Nix and his teammates wrapped up organized team activities on Thursday and they will return for mandatory minicamp next week. The rookie is competing with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for the starting job, and the QB battle is still in the early stages.
We’ll get a better idea of how the QBs stack up once training camp begins in late July. Until then, the work continues for Nix and Co.
