The Denver Broncos‘ decision to part ways with Russell Wilson this offseason led to them selecting Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to be their next franchise quarterback.
Considering how detailed Sean Payton’s offensive scheme can be for any signal-caller tasked with efficiently trying to run his system, what can dynasty fantasy football managers expect from Nix during his rookie season?
Should You Draft Bo Nix in Dynasty Fantasy Football?
The popularity of Superflex leagues has skyrocketed over the last few years. For those unfamiliar with the format, Superflex allows a fantasy manager to start more than one quarterback for your fantasy team. Since there are only a max of 32 starting QBs in the league on a given week, this gives an immense boost to the fantasy value of young signal-callers in rookie drafts.
In Nix’s case, many dynasty managers in this format will likely have to make a decision between drafting the former Oregon product or selecting a player like Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ladd McConkey, or Jonathon Brooks when on the clock.
The lengthy shelf life and positional advantage a franchise quarterback can give you in this format certainly supersedes the other positions. But what can fantasy managers truly expect from Nix in Denver’s offense?
Currently, the Broncos’ best receiver on the roster is Courtland Sutton — who finished as the WR35 last year after catching 10 touchdowns — and has a collection of unknown commodities with Marvin Mims Jr., Tim Patrick, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
Yet, the addition of Nix’s top receiver at Oregon, Troy Franklin, certainly gives him an intriguing vertical weapon whom he has proven chemistry with.
Nix’s current competition for the starting role is Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham, who have both had very little sustained NFL success up to this point.
Ultimately, Nix is worth a late-first-round/early-second-round rookie pick in dynasty drafts. However, he may have the lowest fantasy ceiling because of his advanced age and lack of elite weapons on the perimeter in direct comparison to the other top QB prospects in this class.
Who Is Nix?
Background
At 6’2”, 217 pounds, Nix was a highly touted four-star prospect coming out of high school. He’s a product of Pinson, Alabama, where he had an outstanding prep career at Pinson Valley High School.
During his high school career, Nix generated over 12,000 total yards and 161 total touchdowns, which is an absurd production. His outstanding play earned him Alabama’s Mr. Football Award during his senior year in 2018.
College Production
Opinions are likely going to be all over the place on Nix when you see the duality of his college career at Auburn and Oregon. His career got off to a promising start at Auburn, being named the 2019 Freshman of the Year in the SEC after throwing for 2,542 yards and 16 TDs as a true freshman.
Unfortunately, Nix’s passing yardage and passing touchdowns would decline over each of the next two seasons as the Tigers’ leading man. Ultimately, he decided to transfer to Oregon heading into his senior year.
It turned out to be the right decision. Nix’s 45 TD passes during his final season at Oregon — which was more than all three of his seasons at Auburn combined — speak to his outstanding development after a change of scenery took place.
Injury History
In 2021, Nix suffered a broken ankle against Mississippi State, which abruptly ended his final season at Auburn.
Nix’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Five-year starter with noteworthy improvement and production over his two seasons at Oregon.
- NFL-caliber arm capable of pushing the ball down the field or outside the numbers.
- Quality athlete who can occasionally punish defenses as a runner and extend plays off script; some nice reps throwing the ball on the run with velocity when rolling to his right.
- A quality quick game distributor who proved capable of playing on the time in three-step drop concepts; willing to take what the defense gives him underneath.
- Looks comfortable operating the RPO game; capable of making a single read against a conflict defender and getting the ball out of his hand quickly.
- Capable of identifying ideal matchups pre-snap, which helps him thrive in the quick game.
Weaknesses
- Footwork can get a bit erratic when he feels pressure; loses his base, which leads to throws that get away from him; shuffles backward unnecessarily at times, preventing readiness to push the ball down the field when going through progressions.
- Doesn’t always look the most comfortable when attempting to climb the pocket; would love to see him climb and reset more consistently.
- Threw many screens and underneath passes at Oregon; some questions about how his production will translate to success in the NFL in more complex passing concepts and schemes.
- Questions remain about the ability to consistently through progressions and post-snap processing when the first read isn’t available.