Broncos GM George Paton believes Bo Nix 'more game-ready' than younger QBs
The Denver Broncos didn't hesitate to scoop up Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, even though many evaluators felt it was early for the Oregon quarterback to come off the board.
Much has been made of the age gap between the top six quarterbacks in this year's draft. Three were younger, with Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy and Drake Maye all 22 or younger, while three -- Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr. and Nix -- all turn 24 in 2024. The COVID-19-induced age gap added another equation to the evaluation process.
Broncos general manager George Paton told Mike Klis of 9NEWS Denver that Nix's age and experience -- 61 starts in college -- appealed to a club that expects the rookie to hit the ground running.
"You look at it, it's hard because this is new, but 24 years old is not that old for football," Paton said. "You evaluate it, but you're really evaluating the player, you're evaluating the person. Evaluate how they fit in with the organization, especially for a quarterback.
"To me, the age, they're going to be more, especially with a guy like Bo Nix, 61 starts, we feel like he'll be more game-ready than if we were going to draft a 21-year-old."
Since Peyton Manning's retirement, the Broncos have been a revolving door at quarterback, with 12 different signal-callers getting starts. Denver hopes Nix can stop turnover and end the club's eight-year streak of missing the postseason.
The Broncos had a private workout with Nix on March 18 in Eugene, Ore., and from then on, the experienced quarterback was coach Sean Payton's top target.
"I'd watched all the quarterbacks, seen them live (during the regular season on scouting trips)," Paton told Klis. "And then the season's over, I get with Sean and we watched the
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