The redemption arc of Oregon QB Bo Nix was an incredible story at the college football level alone, but in the process of resurrecting his career, Nix also emerged as a legitimate early-round prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. What does his scouting report say about his NFL projection?
Bo Nix Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’2″
- Weight: 217
- Position: Quarterback
- School: Oregon
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
Nix’s career, in hindsight, will be a case study on football players, how their initial surroundings can impact them, and how a change of scenery can be a catalyst for growth and development.
Nix originally signed with the Auburn Tigers as a four-star recruit out of high school, following in his father Patrick’s footsteps. At Auburn, Nix was under the SEC spotlight, and that stage earned him early notoriety — for reasons both good and bad.
Nix’s true freshman season went about as well as one could hope. Nix led the Tigers to a 9-4 record and an incredible Iron Bowl win over Alabama, and Nix won SEC Freshman of the Year. But through 2020 and 2021, Nix began to wear down.
By 2022, Nix entered the transfer portal and joined up with his offensive coordinator from 2019 — Kenny Dillingham — in Oregon. The move not only united Nix with his trusted coach, but also gave Nix a chance to separate from the noise and the lights — and focus on becoming the best QB he could be.
Bo Nix vs. No. 9 ranked UCLA:
♨️ 22 of 28 passing
♨️ 334 total yards
♨️ 5 TDspic.twitter.com/h0QdrvNb8B— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 24, 2022
Oregon proved to be exactly what Nix needed, but Nix also gave the Ducks some of the best QB play in the modern CFB age.
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Nix went a combined 22-5 over two seasons at Oregon, and in 2023, he completed a record 77.4% of his passes at 9.6 yards per attempt for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns, and just three picks.
Set to be a 24-year-old rookie, the same expectations that weighed on Nix at Auburn will be there in the NFL early on. But now, Nix is better equipped to meet those expectations, and in the right situation, he could even exceed them.
Bo Nix Scouting Report
Strengths
- Fleet-footed, high-energy athlete with superb change of direction, burst, and fluidity.
- Demands respect as a runner and knows how to use his athleticism to open windows.
- Generates easy velocity with a snappy, fluid release, and can do so from all platforms.
- Hyper-elite arm elasticity lends universal angle freedom and rare off-platform comfort.
- Composite arm talent allows him to layer pace and touch on seam and hash throws.
- Has high-level creation capacity and can instinctively slither out of congested pockets.
- Flexibility and high-energy corrective mechanical failsafe amounts to effortless torque.
- Mechanical failsafe yields impressive overall accuracy and flashes of elite precision.
- Able to keep his eyes up working off-script and quickly trigger on open receivers.
- Actively diagnoses mismatches pre-snap and uses that information to operate post-snap.
- Has shown he can anticipate second-window throws over the middle of the field.
- Can anticipate throwing windows outside the numbers and place passes to WR leverage.
- Able to quickly identify and trigger on speed mismatches when WRs track vertically.
- Able to use controlled shoulder tilt to loft fade and boundary passes over defenders.
- Savvy ball handler and distributor who excels working with misdirection and rollouts.
Weaknesses
- Arm strength, while great, falls short of the quantifiably elite mark.
- Doesn’t always have elite drive velocity when pushing passes into the deep third.
- Sometimes relies on his creation capacity to a fault, bailing clean pockets prematurely.
- Sometimes hesitates and clutches the ball after correctly anticipating breaks.
- Is prone to hesitation working with tight windows and has more comfort with open WRs.
- Drifts too much with his footwork and can be uncontrolled at the top of his drop.
- Lack of rhythm with footwork can delay early reads, forcing the need to improvise.
- Frenetic lower-body mechanics can cause fluctuations in situational precision at times.
- Can improve at staying on schedule from progression to progression after first reads.
- Doesn’t force throws but sometimes holds the ball too long and works into a corner.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Nix grades out as a late first-round prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, who could field mid-first-round consideration from teams that present ideal schematic fits.
Earlier in his career, Nix was a volatile but talented passer whose flaws were placed under the microscope at Auburn. But at Oregon, Nix was able to find stability and proper support and build upon his foundation as an elite creator and passing talent.
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Nix reached his peak form in 2023, showing off his skills as an absurdly efficient distributor and game manager, with the athleticism to create, the arm talent to keep the offense on schedule, and the accuracy to help WRs make the most of their opportunities.
There are still areas for Nix to improve in structure. He can be more disciplined with his footwork and his depth on drop-backs, and while he’s able to anticipate windows and throw receivers open, there’s still a level of comfort he has yet to consistently hit with tight-window throws.
That said, Nix is already a very competent field general with pre-snap autonomy, a functional floor as a processor, and the high-end athleticism and arm elasticity to withstand adversity, create off-script, and stay dangerous as a passer while off-script.
Early in his NFL career, Nix should be able to command an offense and perform as a solid starter with combined playmaker and distributor appeal.
And if he can take the next steps in his development — gaining more comfort as a layered processor and trimming down extraneous footwork — he has the upside to be an impact starter.
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