NFL players just voted Bo Nix the 59th-best player in football. Pro Football Network’s own top 100 didn’t rank him at all. That gap is the whole story on where the second-year Broncos quarterback actually stands, depending on who’s holding the ballot.
Why NFL Players Ranked Bo Nix Over Lamar Jackson and Brock Purdy
Nix climbed from 64th a year ago to 59th on the 2026 NFL Top 100, and he got there by clearing names with far bigger reputations. He landed ahead of two-time MVP Lamar Jackson (69th), Brock Purdy (85th), and Trevor Lawrence (62nd). The résumé backs the respect. Nix led Denver to the AFC’s top seed and a 15-3 record across his 18 starts, threw for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns, and added five scores on the ground.
The clutch profile carried real weight. His seven game-winning drives led the NFL in the regular season, and he engineered another in overtime of the Divisional Round win over Buffalo before a broken ankle ended his year. Cummings sees the raw ability plainly.
“On film, Nix is uber talented with elite athleticism, improv skills, escapability, and arm elasticity, and he flashes true anticipation and eye manipulation working over the middle of the field,” Cummings said.
The advanced numbers are a more mixed bag. By PFSN’s proprietary QB Impact metric, Nix scored 74.9, which ranked just 19th in the league. Cummings also pointed to a completion percentage over expectation that landed 24th, though he noted an EPA per dropback of 0.13 that told a friendlier story, tied for 10th. The ceiling flashes, in other words, but the week-to-week operation hasn’t caught up to the highlight reel.
What Bo Nix Needs to Crack the Top 50
Cummings isn’t ready to co-sign 59. He’d put Nix inside the top 100, just not this high and not yet.
“He does at least deserve a top 100 placement,” Cummings said. “I do think he’s a better QB than Jalen Hurts, but I also think the 59 ranking is a little bit premature, and he has work to do before he can truly challenge for top 50 placement.”
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The to-do list is specific. Nix has to sharpen his situational precision, his dropback discipline, and his timing, and he can’t keep getting rattled in tight quarters or against the blitz. Cummings pointed to the tape, where Nix is “breaking way more pockets than he moves.” Too often the answer to pressure is his legs when it should be his eyes and his feet inside a clean pocket.
That’s the separator between a fringe top-100 quarterback and a genuine top-50 one. The arm, the legs, and the nerve already play at a level most passers never reach. The next step is trusting the structure of the offense enough to let it carry him, instead of bailing early and freelancing his way out. Clean that up, and 59 stops looking like a reach from a locker-room popularity contest and starts looking like a floor.
