The Denver Broncos were mentioned in several trade rumors leading up to the first round of the NFL Draft. Apparently, head coach Sean Payton is responsible for those rumors.
Payton claims he tried to convince other teams that Denver was moving up. In reality, the Broncos were comfortable taking Bo Nix with the 12th pick.
During the team’s press conference, Payton told reporters, “I was actively involved in trying to pretend we were moving forward.”
This comment from Payton could age poorly if Nix fails to develop into a franchise quarterback.
Payton, however, has made it abundantly clear that he’s very confident in Nix’s abilities.
“He’s extremely intelligent, really smart. He handled a lot of the protections,” Payton said, via NFL.com. “When you watch him, it’s pretty calming. He’s very efficient, and it’s not just because of the [underneath throws]. You see a ton of NFL throws in their offense.”
Sean Payton literally trolled the Vikings 😭 pic.twitter.com/SlorX9tq91
— Amir Farrell (@BroncosAve) April 26, 2024
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Nix finished his college career on a high note, completing 77.4 percent of his pass attempts last season. The Oregon product had 4,508 passing yards, 45 touchdown passes and just three interceptions.
Although there are plenty of people skeptical of Nix, all that matters is that Payton and his coaching staff trust him.