When looking ahead at the 2023 NFL Draft, it is early enough in the process that there are still approximately three camps that players are in — those who are mentioned as surefire first or second-round picks; those who occasionally sneak into the conversation as an early-round pick; and those who are still outside of the sight of the national media conversation.
Oregon Ducks QB Bo Nix is still a member of that third camp.
It makes sense why he isn’t getting talked about very much at this point in the year — Nix hasn’t even won the starting job yet for the Ducks. Of course, as a transfer from the Auburn Tigers who came to the Pacific Northwest for a chance to join his former offensive coordinator and end his college career on a high note, there are predictions that it will be Nix to lead the Ducks into their first game of the year against the Georgia Bulldogs. However, freshmen Ty Thompson and Jay Butterfield are still looking to give Nix a run for his money at the top.
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That perceived QB competition may be hurting Nix on the national level, though.
If a player of his stature was going into the summer months as the named starter of the Oregon Ducks — a team that is ranked anywhere from 12th to 24th in the preseason polls — it’s likely they’d be getting more attention. Oregon is expected to put up points this year, and the QB at the helm will have a major hand in that.
However, Nix isn’t getting talked about much. Most recently ESPN put out a list of QBs to pay attention to in the 2023 NFL Draft, highlighting some of their strengths and weaknesses.
A total of 3 quarterbacks from the Pac-12 made it onto that list, but Nix wasn’t one of them. Stanford’s Tanner McKee, UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Washington State’s Cameron Ward made the cut.
Are Oregon fans going to look back on this and laugh in a matter of months?
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Let’s say Nix secures the starting job this fall and goes on to find his groove with the Ducks. His fit back alongside OC Kenny Dillingham is like a glove and Oregon’s return to a high-flying offense highlight Nix’s skills and abilities. Maybe the Ducks get into contention for the Pac-12 title game, and a potential New Year’s Six bowl game, led by Nix. Would he be in the draft consideration then?
It’s not hard to envision a world where that all takes place.
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