2024 NFL Draft: Is This QB Class Worth The Hype?
By Hunter Haas
No. 5: Bo Nix (Oregon)
Full disclosure, if you told me Bo Nix would be anywhere near this grade last Spring, I would have laughed you out of the room. However, the former Auburn Tiger grew leaps and bounds in his inaugural season with Dan Lanning at Oregon.
Nix still had several bone-headed decisions on his tape, along with sloppy eye work and feeling pressure. He flees the pocket too early on occasion, while also failing to sense the pressure on other snaps, leading to unnecessary sacks as he surveys the field from the pocket.
The reason for optimism with Nix comes in a few other areas. First, the five-star recruit flexes plenty of arm strength on throws, showing more consistent touch in 2022. Next, Nix still misses some reads, but his ability to read and diagnose a defense is vastly improved since his days in the SEC. Finally, as a runner, the 213-pounder moves like a running back.
Nix lacks the laundry list of injuries that Penix has suffered in college, but like Penix, the Oregon quarterback will be a 24-year-old rookie in the NFL. It is an uphill climb for a prospect that old, but Nix is more talented than Kenny Pickett, so a rise up boards cannot be ruled out.
Best Trait: Dual-Threat Ability
2024 NFL Draft Grade: Early Second-Round Pick