Broncos GM: Nix 'more game-ready' than a younger QB
Bo Nix is the oldest prospect among the top quarterbacks from the 2024 NFL Draft, but the Denver Broncos didn't see that as an issue. They think that may be a good thing, actually.
"Twenty-four years old is not that old for football," Broncos general manager George Paton recently told Mike Klis of 9News Denver. "You evaluate it, but you're really evaluating the player, you're evaluating the person. Evaluate how they fit in with the organization, especially for a quarterback.
"To me, the age, they're going to be more, especially with a guy like Bo Nix, 61 starts, we feel like he'll be more game-ready than if we were going to draft a 21-year-old."
The Broncos entered the 2024 draft with a major need at quarterback and were speculated as potential candidates to trade up in the first round. Denver didn't make a move and took Nix at No. 12, a slot that many considered too high for the former Oregon star.
Nix - who turned 24 in February - was the last passer taken in Round 1, as six quarterbacks were drafted in the top 12 for the first time in NFL history.
The age gap among this year's top QB prospects was a hot topic. Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy, and Drake Maye are all 22 or younger. Michael Penix Jr. and Jayden Daniels will turn 24 in May and December, respectively.
"It's kind of the new normal with the COVID year," Paton added. "There are age gaps."
The 2024 draft featured QBs going 1-2-3, with Williams joining the Chicago Bears as the first overall pick. He was followed by Daniels going to the Washington Commanders and Maye landing with the New England Patriots. The Atlanta Falcons drafted Penix at No. 8, while the Minnesota Vikings took McCarthy 10th overall.
Nix played his first three college seasons at Auburn before joining Oregon for his final two campaigns. He took his game to another level with the Ducks, passing for 74 touchdowns and adding 20 TDs on the ground over two years.
Paton said that Nix caught the Broncos' attention during a private workout in March.
"I'd watched all the quarterbacks, seen them live (during the regular season on scouting trips)," Paton said. "And then the season's over, I get with (head coach) Sean (Payton), and we watched the quarterbacks (on tape). And Sean liked a lot of these quarterbacks. And when we got to Bo, it was pretty instant."
The GM added: "He really liked him, and then we went to the private workout and spent three hours with Bo in the meeting setting, and he was outstanding. And we go out to the field, and he made 10, 15 throws, and Sean came up to me and said, 'This is the guy.'"
Denver has struggled to find consistency at quarterback since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season. The Broncos - who named Payton as their head coach last year - released Russell Wilson this offseason after going 8-9 in 2023, the team's seventh straight losing campaign.
In addition to Nix, Denver's QB depth chart features the unproven Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, the 2021 No. 2 pick who recently joined in a trade from the New York Jets.