Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix calls comparisons to Drew Brees 'surreal'

ENGLEWOOD – During the pre-draft process, a number of analysts compared Bo Nix’s style of play to that of Drew Brees.

The quarterback was flattered.

“It’s very surreal,’’ Nix, taken Thursday by the Broncos with the No. 12 pick in the NFL draft, said Friday when introduced at the Centura Health Training Center. “I grew up watching Drew Brees.”

Nix grew up in Alabama, not that far from New Orleans, where Brees was a star quarterback with the Saints from 2006-20. Not only was Nix paying plenty of attention to Brees then, but he was also focusing on Sean Payton, who was the Saints’ coach when they won the Super Bowl in the 2009 season and is now Denver’s head man.

“I watched their Super Bowl,’’ Nix said. “I knew the efficient offenses that they had and how well (Brees and Payton) worked together.”

Nix has drawn comparisons to Brees primarily due to his accuracy. Brees holds the NFL record for his completion percentage of 74.4 in 2018. In Nix's last season at Oregon, he set an NCAA record for completion percentage at 77.4.

“Whenever you’re compared to a guy like Drew Brees, it’s an honor just because of the success he had and the career that he had,’’ Nix said. “So all it is just talk. I have to go out there and continue to do things just for the respect of that comparison.”

Nix figures it will help having Brees’ former coach working with him.

“I’m excited to be around him, I’m excited to learn from him,’’ Nix said. “Everything he tells me is something that I’m probably not going to know. So I’m going to do my best to take it all in and apply it to the field.”

Rosengarten, McCaffrey drafted

A pair of former Valor Christian High School stars were drafted on Friday night.

Washington tackle Roger Rosengarten was taken with the No. 62 pick in the second round by Baltimore. And Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey was selected with the No. 100 and final pick of the third round by Washington.

McCaffrey is the brother of San Francisco star running back Christian McCaffrey and the son of former Broncos star receiver Ed McCaffrey.

Rosengarten had talked last month at the scouting combine about hoping to play for the Broncos. But he ended up being taken 14 picks before they took Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss with the No. 76 pick in the third round.

“I would love to play back in my home city and home state, and yeah, that’d be exciting,’’ Rosengarten had said.

Forsyth and Nix

Before the Broncos drafted Nix, they consulted with center Alex Forstyth, his former center at Oregon.

“Of course, when you have a former teammate that you just signed a year ago, he’s a great resource,’’ Payton said. “The more you just keep digging into the process (helps).”

Forsyth was Nix’s center for the Ducks in 2021 and 2022 before being a seventh-round pick by the Broncos in 2023. He didn’t get into any games as a rookie, but Payton has called him a candidate to start at center in 2024 in place of Lloyd Cushenberry, who signed as a free agent with Tennessee.

“In talking with Alex, you try to hit every base and make sure the information you feel you’re seeing is correct,’’ Payton said. “Alex went on like, ‘He was in the offensive line room, handling the protections, talking about what we’re going to do with these looks.’’’

Quarterback contracts

The Broncos will take a $53-million dead cap hit in 2024 on Russell Wilson, who was released last month. But at least the four quarterbacks on their roster combine for a cap number of just $14.095 million.

Among veterans, Jarrett Stidham has a cap number of $7 million, Zach Wilson is at $2.726 million and Ben DiNucci is at $985,000. And Nix will have a cap number of $3.384 million.

Nix is in line to sign a four-year, $18.613 million contract with a fifth-year option. That includes a $10.356 million signing bonus and a rookie base salary of $795,000.