Nix’s football intelligence also stood out in test, as the Broncos sent Nix three days worth of offensive install at 5 p.m. ahead of a 9 a.m. meeting the next day.
“It’s almost purposefully a little bit more [information] than we think [a prospect can handle],” Payton said. “Then at what point do they fail? In other words, it’s a lot.
“… He’s sitting there in the office, and you could tell that he probably had been in the hotel room, do not disturb, pot of coffee, just grinding on it. So he’s extremely intelligent, really smart.”
On the field, Nix avoided sacks and other negative plays and made “a ton of NFL throws” in Oregon’s offense,” according to Payton. Nix also processed quickly, set an NCAA record for completion percentage in 2023 and played well in big moments.
“When you watch him, it’s pretty calming,” Payton said. “He’s very efficient.”
Nix’s size, background and response to adversity also struck a positive note with the Broncos, who evaluated a slew of quarterbacks before settling on Nix.
“Obviously, it’s a long process,” Paton said. “It’s a year-long process. We’re in the draft, for the quarterbacks, for all the positions. It was really important for us to go through the whole process with all these quarterbacks. We liked all of the quarterbacks. With Bo, we spent a lot of time, starting at the Senior Bowl, Combine, we did a private [workout] out there in Oregon. Sean probably wasn’t familiar with Bo early in the process, and then started watching tape [and] liked him a lot. He fit a lot of things Sean likes in a quarterback. The private workout [was] where we [spent] just three hours just meeting with Bo, just getting to know him. … Then, just watching him throw.
“So that was kind of the start, and then you get through more tape and more tape, and he was just an ideal fit for what we want here.”
Plenty of people saw the fit before the draft, much to the chagrin of Payton and Paton. On Thursday, the perfect hypothetical became reality.
