Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix is not your typical NFL rookie. The Denver Broncos selected Nix in first round of 2024 NFL Draft after coach Sean Payton was blown away by Nix’s maturity, talent and football intelligence.

The 24-year-old Nix started 61 games in college, breaking the NCAA record. Now, he has a shot to earn the starting quarterback role in Denver as rookies report to Broncos training camp on July 17.

Payton is encouraged by Nix’s quick ability to adjust to the NFL, noting that the quarterback is “bigger than he expected.” Payton isn’t the only head coach who is inspired by Nix as Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning revealed why he believes Nix will be successful in the NFL.

“I’m gonna miss the person. He’s a special individual. He’s as good of a person as I’ve ever met,” Lanning said about Nix to Colin Cowherd. “His wife Izzy is unbelievable. He came here with a different level of maturity, already married. I felt like we had another coach in the building.” 

“What separates Bo is how much time he puts in to work. He watches more film than coaches. There’s no one that’s going to step on the field more prepared than Bo. And then the way he practices every day, the level of intensity. His commitment to being great, it really kind of spread throughout our program.”  

Nix will compete with Jarrett Stidham for the starting role. Both Stidham and Nix played at Auburn.

After being Auburn’s starter in 2017 and 2018, Stidham was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2019 Draft. He is entering his sixth NFL season but has just four starts.

“Whatever team Bo goes to, they’re going to have success,”Johnson told Oregon Sports Illustrated’s Bri Amaranthus.“That’s no doubt. He’s the best guy in the NFL. The guy is unbelievable.”

“He’s loving it (in Denver),” Johnson told Amaranthus. “He’s tired, I can see it in his face. It’s normal. I just feel like him being there is a great situation. He’s been through it enough, and all he knows is football.”

Nix is fresh off his best season yet, breaking the NCAA single-season record for completion percentage in 2023 at 77.45, completing a whopping 364 of 470 passes. 

Payton has a proven track record of producing dynamic results with multiple quarterbacks, notably winning a Super Bowl with Drew Brees for the New Orleans Saints. The Broncos selected Nix with the No. 12 overall pick. It’s the first time ever coach Payton drafted a quarterback in the first two rounds of the draft in his career.

Nix faces the difficult task of competing in the same division as the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The reigning-Super Bowl champion Chiefs have won the AFC West divisional crown for eight-straight seasons. In the AFC West, Nix also will face former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert‘s Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders (and fellow teammate Jackson-Powers Johnson.)