Sean Payton has found his quarterback.
The Broncos selected former Oregon star Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. Nix is Denver’s first selection in the first round since they took Pat Surtain II at No. 9 in 2021.
Nix is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, playing in 61 career games and recording 15,352 passing yards, 113 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
Nix, a four-star recruit and ranked the best dual-threat quarterback in the 2019 class by 247sports, spent three seasons at Auburn before transferring to Oregon and becoming a college football superstar. He totaled 8,101 passing yards, 74 touchdowns and 10 picks in two seasons with the Ducks.
The Alabama native was named a Heisman finalist in 2023 after breaking Oregon’s single-season records for completions (364), passing yards (4,508) and passing touchdowns (45).
He is also the program’s all-time leader in completion percentage (74.9%), and the seventh quarterback in school history to get drafted in the first round. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was the last Duck to get selected in Day 1 when he was taken sixth overall in 2020.
Quarterback became a pressing need for the Broncos, after Russell Wilson was benched for the final two games of the season and later released in March. After not landing a veteran in free agency, Denver traded for the New York Jets’ Zach Wilson, a second overall selection in 2021 who hasn’t lived up to expectations.
With a quarterback room that features Jarrett Stidham, Ben DiNucci and Wilson, Nix has a chance to come in and start right away. Denver has had 13 different starting quarterbacks since Peyton Manning retired in 2016.
Time will only tell if Nix can be the long-term solution at quarterback.
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