Ahead of the NFL Draft later this month, former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix visited with the Seattle Seahawks who could give him an opportunity to stay in the Pacific Northwest at the next level. This weekend, the young QB was in Seattle for meetings with his potential future team.
The Seahawks have the No. 16 overall selection in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which puts them in the general range in which Nix could come off the board. Seattle does not have a second-round pick, however, they could trade up for one if they go another direction in the first round and the Oregon star slips to Day 2. They could also trade down out of the first to gain more draft capital. New coordinator Ryan Grubb coached against Nix three times as O.C. at Washington.
The Seahawks aren’t in a position where they must draft their next franchise quarterback this year. Geno Smith has two seasons left on his contract and he is the presumed starter moving forward.
After struggling with consistency in three years at Auburn, Nix went to play for the Ducks and developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He threw for more than 4,500 yards and 45 touchdowns, with only three interceptions this past season while earning Heisman finalist honors.
During his two seasons at Oregon, Nix completed 71.9 percent of his passes and 77.4 percent of his passes during his two seasons. The Alabama native threw for more than 3,500 yards in 2022 and more than 4,500 yards in 2023. Nix tossed 74 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions across his two seasons with the Ducks. Oregon also reached double-digit wins both seasons Nix was leading the Ducks, including going 12-2 in 2023.
On top of his visit with the Seahawks, Nix also met with the Raiders last week. Las Vegas has the No. 13 pick in the first round.
Nix goes to Denver in Field Yates’ latest mock draft
Unlike the Seahawks, the Denver Broncos are in need of a franchise quarterback for their future after the Russell Wilson debacle. According to NFL analyst Field Yates, they can’t afford to pass on the position in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, especially if Nix is available at No. 12.
Yates explained his selection of Nix to the Broncos during the release of his second mock on Wednesday.
“How about Bo Nix, the quarterback from Oregon? This is a player who thrives off of accuracy and processing. Those are two staples of a Sean Payton–led offense,” Yates said. “When you factor in that Denver right now has only Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci on the roster at quarterback? They certainly need to add at least one more arm there.”
Fellow analyst Matt Miller agreed with Yates’ take because the franchise has yet to acquire a new quarterback. They didn’t sign or trade for one earlier on in this offseason.
“If they can’t trade up, this is the player they have to get. You’ve really backed yourself into a corner if you’re the Denver Broncos, as Field laid out,” Miller said. “In this quarterback frenzy this offseason, they didn’t make any moves to add anyone. They didn’t get a Sam Howell, they didn’t get Kenny Pickett, they didn’t go after Justin Fields.”
On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.
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