The NFL Draft brings out strong comparisons every year, and those comparisons often contend that a top-tier prospect resembles a current star or former Super Bowl winner.
Bo Nix of Oregon has been called a potential first-rounder. But longtime draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. gave him a stunning comparison: Drew Brees.
Why Mel Kiper Jr. Sees Drew Brees in Bo Nix
Speaking on NFL Live Tuesday, Kiper believes that the Ducks star and Heisman Trophy finalist has “a lot of Drew Brees” in him.
Kiper first pointed to where the Super Bowl 44 winner with the New Orleans Saints and Nix are alike. “Hand size even, exactly the same,” he said of the two quarterbacks. “Nix 6’2″, Drew Brees 6’0.5″. Both around 215 [pounds].”
Kiper then dove into how Nix and Brees are identical when they throw the football.
“Accurate passers. Don’t have the big arm,” Kiper said of both.
But, he added “Brees didn’t have the big arm, that’s why he was the first pick in the second round, right? Nix doesn’t have the big arm. Cerebral. Can beat a defense with their legs. Nix can, Brees had legs coming out, had had over 600 yards rushing in that last year at Purdue.”
.@MelKiperESPN sees "a lot of Drew Brees in Bo Nix" 😮 pic.twitter.com/RCXFEkGX0I
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 19, 2024
While Nix had a decorated collegiate career that really skyrocketed following his transfer to Oregon, he’s not a surefire first-round projection in a class that features Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy.
Yet, Nix has many experts believing that if there’s a fifth quarterback taken in the first round, it’s him. In fact, another draft analyst believes Nix is first-round material and can go higher than many project.
Nix Picked To Land Inside Top 15 by Draft Analyst
While Nix has predominantly been given a second-round grade, PFN’s Tony Catalina is one who believes the former Ducks star is first-round material.
Catalina has Nix landing as far up as No. 11 overall.
Catalina mapped out a scenario Sunday that sees the Minnesota Vikings using the first pick of their two first-round selections on Nix.
“The Minnesota Vikings were aggressive in their pursuit to obtain pick No. 23, and with the combination of this pick and that one, the team could decide to put all their chips on the table to go for one of the three top-tier QBs in this draft,” Catalina said. “However, in this scenario, they decide to take Bo Nix and look to build around him as the QB of the future.”
This makes Nix the last QB taken in Catalina’s recent first-round PFN Mock Draft and the fifth QB overall in that projection.
GET DRAFTING: FREE 2024 NFL Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
If Nix were to land with the Vikings, he would walk into a potential open QB competition. The franchise lost Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins to a $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Minnesota did sign a former top-three pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, Sam Darnold, but that was a one-year signing. Darnold has also often dealt with injuries throughout his career.
But whichever team lands Nix will be getting “a lot of Drew Brees,” according to Kiper.
All the 2024 NFL Draft resources you need — the draft order, the top QBs, the Top 100 prospects, and the full 2024 Big Board — right at your fingertips at Pro Football Network!