When the Broncos drafted Oregon quarterback Bo Nix wth the twelfth pick of the 2024 draft, the blowback was swift. The choice to grab what could have been a day-two prospect early in the first round seemed like a reach, even if head coach Sean Payton stood by his decision.
But, a new book from ESPN's Seth Wickersham details just how confident Payton felt about Nix—as well as the baller, ice-cold quote the coach dropped about what he was sure would be a controversial decision.
Per an excerpt of said book published Monday, Nix had the best data in the 2024 draft by Payton's standards, which involved evaluating the QB's processing speed with a Moneyball-esque formula of the coach's own design. In 2017, Payton used the system to evaluate then-Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes, whom he had hoped to draft that same year for the Saints (but we all know how that turned out).
In 2024, though, Nix stood out to the former Saints head coach. Payton liked the data, and he knew the Broncos would have a shot at getting him at No. 12, unlike fellow quarterbacks Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.
"Payton doesn't think Nix is the best prospect since Mahomes, of course," Wickersham writes. "But he believes in his potential right now, for what Payton needs and where he's drafting. And he believes that together, they can be special. He has a plan for his quarterback. And he knows that sets him ahead of so many rookies. This is rare. A quarterback needs coaching and infrastructure. Nix will end up as one of the best quarterbacks of the 2024 class because he has a head coach who knows offense, knows quarterbacks, isn't afraid of being fired, and is more invested in him than in covering his own a--."
And as for that ice-cold quote:
"I'll get criticized for taking him at twelve," Payton tells Wickersham, per the excerpt. "I don't give a f---. Three years from now is what I'm worried about."
One season into Nix's NFL career, Payton clearly still believes he made the right decision. In fact, he recently said he thinks the former Oregon QB is "going to be a superstar" and will be "one of the top quarterbacks within the next two years." Of course, it also helps that Nix had a strong debut; last season he finished with 3,775 passing yards and 29 touchdowns (the sixth most in the league).
We'll see how Payton's prediction holds come season two.
American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback comes out Sept. 9.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sean Payton Had Such an Ice-Cold Quote About Decision to Draft Bo Nix.