The Denver Broncos shocked pretty much everyone by selecting Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft Thursday night.
Denver had obviously been in the market for a quarterback after releasing Russell Wilson earlier in the offseason. The expectation was that head coach Sean Payton would move up for one of the Tier 1 signal callers in the annual event.
Instead, the Broncos reached for a signal caller that some had pegged dropping to the second round. Pundits (raises hand) were out in full force to criticize the pick. Why not trade down and add Nix later? Denver is not a quarterback away from contention. Why not go best-player available?
We likely won’t find out whether this was a major reach for a couple years. But the expectation is that we’ll see Nix on the field sooner rather than later. After all, the only other quarterbacks on Denver’s roster are former New York Jets first-round bust Zach Wilson and veteran journeyman Jarrett Stidham.
Nix touched on whether he’ll be the starting quarterback as a rookie in 2024 during his first meet-and-greet with Broncos media on Friday. His answer was a tad surprising.
“I know everybody has to compete. I know everyone has to go to work. We haven’t had any conversations thus far, just draft prep and obviously the recent draft pick [call]. Other than that, I just can’t wait to get around the locker room, can’t wait to get around the guys, meeting my new teammates, meeting new coaches and get to work.”
On one hand, a competition is healthy. On the other hand, Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham.
Related: Denver Broncos absolutely blasted for Bo Nix reach
Selected No. 2 overall by the New York Jets back in 2021, Wilson is among the biggest busts in modern NFL history. During his three-year run in Jersey, the former BYU standout threw 23 touchdowns compared to 25 interceptions. He continually found himself at odds with coaches and teammates. He was benched multiple times.
Stidham was a fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots back in 2019. He has also spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders and these very same Broncos, throwing eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in four starts.
We understand that Nix wants to be diplomatic. But if he’s not the Week 1 starter, this pick might already prove to be a failure.
