Sean Payton recently sat down with Diana Russini and Chase Daniel and relayed some very insightful information about the Broncos quest to draft Bo Nix. Just take a listen to this short clip, as Payton even takes us into the draft room back in April when the team was trying to ensure they got Bo Nix:
Denver kept their love for Bo Nix in house. It was a secret they weren’t going to let out. The Broncos weren’t the only team 👀
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 20, 2024
🎧 https://t.co/fFKLUzjLu0
📺 https://t.co/UkoodJYgvw pic.twitter.com/8IE7x4cFHP
The first thing that Payton notes is that there were a "few other teams" that saw Bo Nix the way Denver did, so they seemed to understand that the Broncos could have some competition to draft Nix. He then notes that they felt like the Giants were going to be an "at large" team for a QB. This checks out, as a ton of mocks before the 2024 NFL Draft had the Giants taking a QB, but others had them taking someone like Mailk Nabers, the WR from LSU who did end up going to the Giants at pick six.
Payton continues on and explains to Russini and Daniel that he had George Paton to call the New York Jets to see if a move-up was a possibility, as Denver obviously did not want a Patrick Mahomes-type of situation to happen. This was when the New Orleans Saints had their eyes on Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft, but were jumped at the last minute by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The way Payton explains the situation in this clip makes me think that the Broncos draft room got incredibly tense as their 12th pick crept closer and closer. Even though Bo Nix was the sixth and final QB off the board in the first round, the Broncos had their eyes on him in a big way and viewed him much higher than the six-best QB in the class.
I can't help but wonder what this team would look like today if they were not able to get Bo Nix. Through two preseason games, Nix looks like the real deal, so the Broncos have to be feeling good about the early returns they are getting from their selection. And even beyond Nix, other rookies like Jonah Ellis, Kris Abrams-Draine, and Audric Estime are all making a huge cases to be heavily involved in 2024.
It's a great time in Broncos Country, folks.