Category: Broncos Buzz

Ex-college teammate Alex Forsyth raved to Broncos about Bo Nix

Former Oregon center Alex Forsyth raved to Broncos coaches about Bo Nix, telling them the QB ‘had the universal respect of the entire team.’

Bo Nix is no Bo Callahan.

Unlike the fictional “Draft Day” quarterback who didn’t have any teammates show up to his birthday party, Bo Nix seems to be beloved by his teammates.

One of those teammates, center Alex Forsyth, started 12 games at Oregon in 2022 before being picked by the Broncos in the seventh round of last year’s NFL draft. Leading up to this year’s draft, Forsyth gave Denver’s staff a glowing review about his old teammate.

Forsyth “raved to Denver’s coaches about his former college quarterback,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The center “told the Broncos coaches that Nix is smart, knows every protection, handles it all at the line of scrimmage, and had the universal respect of the entire team.”

Nix is now set to compete with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for the starting quarterback job this summer. Meanwhile, Forsyth is expected to compete with veteran Sam Mustipher for the starting center job.

Now reunited as teammates in the NFL, perhaps Forsyth and Nix will one day start together again someday down the road.

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Bo Nix aced his pre-draft meeting with the Broncos

The Broncos gave Bo Nix three packets of offensive play installation to study at his pro day and the QB “crushed” his test the next morning.

The Denver Broncos gave quarterback Bo Nix extensive homework at Oregon’s pro day last month. Broncos coach Sean Payton handed Nix “three packets of offensive play installation” to study ahead of his meeting with Denver’s staff the next day, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

In the classroom the next morning, Nix “crushed it,” according to Schefter. The QB then went out on the field for a private workout for the Broncos and continued to impress. Six weeks later, Denver picked Nix in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

After making the pick official on Thursday night, Broncos coach Sean Payton went on Pat McAfee’s draft show and recalled the QB’s studious work to prep for his meeting with the team.

“I don’t know what time he got to the office, but I felt like he was in a hotel room with a “Do not disturb” sign on [the door with a] coffee, the whole thing. … He’s super intelligent,” Payton told McAfee.

That late-night study appears to have paid off because Payton was clearly impressed with the quarterback. Nix is now set to compete with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for the starting QB job this summer.

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Sean Payton feels as strongly about Bo Nix as he did about Patrick Mahomes

Broncos coach Sean Payton “feels as strongly about Bo Nix as he did [Patrick] Mahomes” in 2017, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Seven years ago, Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints were prepared to select Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

Before the Saints went on the clock, the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to pick No. 10, jumping above New Orleans.

“We were picking at 11, Andy [Reid] went to 10,” Payton recalled in 2021. “And as soon as that trade took place we knew it was Mahomes.”

The Saints pivoted and picked cornerback Marshon Lattimore after KC moved up. Fast forward a few years (and three Super Bowl titles for Mahomes) later and Payton is now coaching the Denver Broncos.

Payton stayed put at No. 12 in the first round of Thursday’s NFL draft and he picked Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. After the Broncos made that pick, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that Payton “feels as strongly about Bo Nix as he did Mahomes.”

This obviously does not mean Nix will become “the next Patrick Mahomes,” but it’s a good sign that Payton is so confident in the QB prospect, the same way he was confident in Mahomes as a prospect in 2017.

Nix will make his debut for the Broncos during preseason in August.

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Report: Broncos had Bo Nix ranked as QB3 on their draft board

The Broncos had Bo Nix as the third-best quarterback on their big board behind Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, according to KOA Radio.

There was plenty of buzz about the Denver Broncos being enamored with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy leading up to the 2024 NFL draft. It seems that was merely a smokescreen.

The Broncos had Oregon quarterback Bo Nix ranked as “QB3” on their big board behind LSU’s Jayden Daniels and USC’s Caleb Williams, according to a report from Benjamin Allbright of KOA Radio.

Nix ended up being the sixth quarterback taken in the first round, behind Williams (No. 1), Daniels (No. 2), Drake Maye (No. 3), Michael Penix (No. 8) and McCarthy (No. 10). Despite being overlooked by five other QB-needy teams, Nix was Denver’s target from the beginning.

Nix had been Broncos coach Sean Payton’s top choice “for weeks,” according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

After releasing quarterback Russell Wilson last month, Denver now has its quarterback of the future in Nix. The rookie quarterback is now presumably set to compete with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson this summer. A new era begins now for the Broncos.

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Check out these highlights of new Broncos QB Bo Nix

The Broncos have their quarterback of the future! Check out Bo Nix’s highlights here.

The Denver Broncos made a first-round pick in the NFL draft for the first time since 2021 on Thursday night, selecting Oregon quarterback Bo Nix 12th overall.

Nix was a three-year starter at Auburn, before transferring to the University of Oregon for two seasons. Nix finished third in the 2023 Heisman Trophy voting, after a season of career highs.

In 2023, Nix passed for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and three interceptions with a 77.4 percent completion percentage.

In two seasons with the Ducks, he had almost as many completions as he did in three seasons with the Tigers (628 at Auburn, 658 at Oregon).

Check out his highlights below:

Nix joins a quarterback room that recently added former first-round draft pick Zach Wilson in the past week.

Nix was the sixth quarterback selected in the first round (as of publication),  behind Michael Penix Jr, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy, which ties an NFL record. The number of quarterbacks ties the famous 1983 NFL draft, when former Broncos quarterback and future Hall of Famer John Elway was taken first overall.

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Broncos select QB Bo Nix in 2024 NFL draft

The Broncos have their new quarterback! Denver lands Bo Nix at No. 12.

The Denver Broncos selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit on Thursday evening.

Nix (6-2, 214 pounds) was considered by most pundits to be the fifth-best quarterback in this year’s class behind Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy. Those four QBs and Michael Penix were picked above Nix on Thursday.

Nix spent the first three years of his college career at Auburn, completing 59.4% of his passes for 7,251 yards with 39 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. He transferred to Oregon ahead of the 2022 season and went on to complete 74.9% of his passes for 8,101 yards with 74 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in two seasons (27 games) with the Ducks.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared Nix to Tony Romo, who went undrafted out of Eastern Illinois in 2003 and went on to reach four Pro Bowls during his 13-year career in the NFL (11 years as a starter).

After five years in college, Nix now enters the NFL as a 24-year-old rookie.

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Broncos are ‘always looking’ for cornerbacks and pass rushers

“You’re always looking at those type of positions. They’re hard to find. If someone falls in your lap, you’re going to take them.”

There’s been much speculation that the Denver Broncos could trade up for a quarterback during the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

If trading up proves to be too costly, Denver could attempt to trade down and acquire more picks. It takes two parties for a trade, though, and there’s no guarantee the Broncos will be able to generate interest in pick No. 12.

If the team ends up staying put, there will be talented options on the board at pick No. 12, including a few notable pass rushers and cornerbacks.

“You’re always looking for corners and edge, value-type positions,” general manager George Paton said during his pre-draft press conference last week. “We like our corner group. We have one of the best corners in the league. We like our nickel in ‘J-Mac’ [Ja’Quan McMillian]. We have two young outside guys, Riley [Moss] and Damarri [Mathis] and Tremon [Smith]. We have a good, young group. They’re younger, so we like the group, [but] you’re always looking to add at those type of positions.

“The outside ’backer group, we have three that are really talented: [Nik] Bonitto, [Baron] Browning and [Jonathon] Cooper. We have a young Drew Sanders, if he stays outside. So we like the group, but you’re always looking at those type of positions. They’re hard to find. If someone falls in your lap, you’re going to take them.”

Paton was careful to note that the team “likes” their current corners and pass rushers, but he admitted the team won’t pass on a top CB or OLB if one of the elite prospects in this year’s draft falls to them at the right spot.

The top cornerbacks in this year’s class are Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold. The top pass rushers are Dallas Turner, Laiatu Latu and Jared Verse. The first round of the NFL draft will begin tonight in Detroit.

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Broncos have picked 12th overall three times since 1971

If the Broncos stand pat and don’t make a trade, Thursday will mark the fourth time they have picked 12th overall in the NFL draft.

The Denver Broncos will pick 12th overall in Thursday’s NFL draft, where they hope to select a game-changing player that will help this franchise back into relevance.

Denver has drafted in the 12th overall slot three times since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Each of those three players went on to have a significant career with the Broncos.

  • 1971: OT Marv Montgomery

Montgomery was an offensive lineman at USC before being selected by Denver at 12th overall in the 1971 NFL draft. Montgomery spent five years and three games in 1976 with the Broncos before moving onto the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons prior to the finishing of his career in 1978.

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  • 2008: OT Ryan Clady

Clady made the transition from college to the NFL the way not many other players do — by staying with a team with the same nickname and similar colors. Clady was an offensive tackle from the Boise State Broncos, and he made a key block on the famous Statue of Liberty play from the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Clady went on to have a great career with the NFL’s Broncos — he was a four-time Pro Bowler (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014) and a two-time first-team All-Pro (2009, 2012). Clady finished his career in 2016 with the New York Jets.

  • 2009: RB Knowshon Moreno

One of the most recent Georgia running backs that was selected by the Broncos was Knowshon Moreno, who was also picked 12th overall. Moreno was a five-year starter with the Broncos, only recording one 1,000-yard season (2013). Moreno finished his Denver stint with 4,869 yards and 35 total touchdowns in five years.

It will be interesting to see who Denver picks with the 12th selection in 2024 (if they don’t make a trade).

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Bo Nix says it would be an honor to play for Broncos coach Sean Payton

“I’m never going to argue if I get to play for one of the better coaches of all time,” Bo Nix said of potentially playing for Sean Payton.

The NFL draft will begin on Thursday, April 25, and the uncertainty of who some teams will draft looms large. Although the Denver Broncos just traded for Zach Wilson via the New York Jets, could head coach Sean Payton also aim for Bo Nix?

If so, the NCAA’s single-season completion percentage leader appears to be attractive to the possibility. The former University of Oregon quarterback appeared on the Up And Adams show this week and said “it’d be an honor” to play for Sean Payton and the Broncos, alluding to the HC’s legacy with legendary quarterbacks like Drew Brees.

“I’m never going to argue if I get to play for one of the better coaches of all time,” Nix told Adams.

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While Wilson could become Payton’s next rehabilitation project, Nix knows his pedigree from college would make him an intriguing target. We will find out on Thursday evening if Nix joins Wilson in Denver.

Check out the clip of Nix and his comments on Payton below.

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Peyton Manning says Broncos are ‘very interested’ in J.J. McCarthy

“I know Denver is very interested in him,” Peyton Manning said of J.J. McCarthy during an interview on 104.3 The Fan.

Speaking with old teammate Brandon Stokley and 104.3 The Fan co-host Josh Dover on Tuesday, former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning endorsed the team’s trade for quarterback Zach Wilson.

Manning also might have given a hint about Denver’s draft plans.

Manning recalled a texting mishap he had with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who thought somebody was pranking him pretending to be Manning. When McCarthy realized it was truly No. 18, the QBs connected and Manning gave some advice to the 21-year-old prospect.

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After recounting that phone call with McCarthy, Manning added this: “I know Denver is very interested in him and it sounded like a place he’d love to come to but it’s a little bit out of his control.”

It’s unclear if Manning has inside information or if he’s merely referencing the many reports that the Broncos are believed to be big fans of McCarthy.

Denver is not scheduled to pick until 12th overall in the first round and McCarthy is not expected to fall that far. If the Broncos want to land the Michigan quarterback, they will likely need to trade up. Denver coach Sean Payton has said moving up is a realistic option.

Whether all the buzz was genuine or just a smokescreen remains to be seen, but Manning added fuel to the fire just before the draft.

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