When the Denver Broncos selected Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it was seen as a and pick by many. The word “reach” was thrown around by many analysts, and there was plenty of talk about how little success the sixth quarterback taken in most drafts had had historically.
Sean Payton wanted to hear none of it.
Payton didn’t want to tip his hand ahead of the draft, so he put out smokescreens involving J.J. McCarthy, for instance. He kept his plans to the vest, but he intended to draft Nix from the moment he saw his workout. Payton was so thrilled to draft Nix, that he wanted to let him know in person.
Take a look at this report from Jay Glazer of Fox Sports:
Payton is being proven right in his belief of Nix as the rookie quarterback has put together a phenomenal first season in Denver and he has the Broncos trending toward a Wild Card berth. All of that talk about the lack of success for the sixth quarterback taken in a draft class can be put to bed because Nix is having as much success as anyone.
Would Sean Payton have taken Bo Nix No. 1 overall?
This is an interesting question because the 2024 draft featured a quarterback-heavy class and he would have gone against the beliefs of many scouts and draft analysts had he taken Nix over all of the other quarterbacks on the board.
But it’s also impossible to answer because hindsight is going to factor in at this point. It’s easy to say that he would have based on his success, but he also had an incredibly strong belief in Nix all along that he may not have had in any of the other options available.
During this segment by Glazer, FOX analyst and former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw said that Payton would have taken Nix if he had the number one overall pick. That’s a bold statement because Caleb Williams — the player who was taken No. 1 — was considered to be a generational talent by most involved.
One thing is for sure, if Payton had the opportunity to trade Nix for Williams today, he would most certainly say no to that. Nix was his guy and it’s working out beautifully.
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