There’s been a lot of discussion from Broncos fans on social media about whether or not the team should look to trade down to acquire more picks or if they should trade up if they really like a player. Despite speculation of the Broncos and Sean Payton being ‘enamored’ with certain prospects in this year’s draft, Payton isn’t letting that information out of the building.
Only he and general manager George Paton know who and what they want at the quarterback position. With Payton’s perceived league-wide reputation, that information getting out would be detrimental to the Broncos’ draft plans.
If a team likes the same quarterback and that information gets out that Denver is leaning toward moving up to take him or if they stand pat at 12th, it wouldn’t come as a shock to see a team try to leapfrog the Broncos to take that player.
Nix’s collegiate career started off rocky at Auburn, but he found his footing in Eugene, Oregon, and helped set the standard for what the Oregon Ducks football program represents.
In 2023, Nix threw for 4508 passing yards, 45 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. He had a 92.1 QBR rating from ESPN which was 2nd in college football last season.
Nix was sacked only five times last season and demonstrated strong command of the Oregon offense, not only throwing for the amount of touchdowns and yards he did, but also rushing for six touchdowns last season on top of it.
Kiper expands further on Nix and draws a “Brees-like comparison.”
“That’s the way I’m leaning right now,” Kiper said. “Nix isn’t going to be for every team, but Payton might see a little Drew Brees in him. He’s a super-fast processor who can make every throw and was one of the most productive passers in college football the past two seasons. He had 74 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions after transferring from Oregon. The Ducks’ offense relied on quick strikes, though, and he wasn’t often asked to push the ball downfield. He averaged just 6.3 air yards per attempt last season, which ranked 120th out of 125 FBS qualifiers. Taking Nix in Round 1 would be a way for the Broncos to try to snag a franchise quarterback, and if they moved down a few spots, they could regain some valuable capital. But again, they have to really believe in his potential to do it.”
Denver’s offense struggled last season with their intermediate passing game, and this is an area where Nix can excel. Despite his overall lack of deep shots, he’s more than capable of making those throws at the NFL level.
The Broncos had one of the NFL’s best deep ball passers last season with Russell Wilson but struggled to have a consistent intermediate game. With Nix’s strength as a quick processor and somebody who can get the ball out quickly, he’s the ideal fit for what Payton wants to run offensively.
The narrative that Nix is just a byproduct of check-downs and screens is a naive take when you factor in his 4500-yard passing. He did a lot of damage attacking defenses in the middle of the field, consistently hitting slants and digs.
His addition to the Broncos would be one that I feel would help Denver be far more efficient with their passing offense, and he’s also got the ability to be somewhat of a dual threat at the position.
