The Denver Broncos drafted Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Although many criticized Sean Payton and the team for drafting the Oregon product, Denver seems to have found its franchise quarterback.
Nix has led the Broncos to a 6-5 start to the season and is getting better every week. The Broncos are quite likely to make the playoffs, and it is a remarkable turnaround for a franchise that hit rock bottom after it decided to release Russell Wilson by taking a cap hit of $85 million in the process.
The Broncos rookie has received a lot of praise in the last few weeks. Colin Cowherd recently picked him over Jalen Hurts in a discussion that sparked a lot of reactions from the NFL fans.
Fans Call Out Colin Cowherd for Absurd Bo Nix Take
During a segment on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” the Fox Sports analyst was asked to choose between Nix and several other quarterbacks on who he would start a franchise with based on contracts and age.
He picked the Broncos quarterback over Hurts, Jared Goff, Kyler Murray, Dak Prescott, and Drake Maye. Cowherd also came close to picking him over Jordan Love but decided to pass.
On his decision to pick Nix over Hurts, he said, “Here’s what concerns me with Jalen Hurts: He is very dependent on his legs, and Bo Nix has proven even through 11 games, I think Bo in the pocket is a better pocket passer.”
Here’s how fans reacted:
LMFAO this is getting comical at this point man. Hurts is one of the most accurate pocket passers in the league. Contrary to most people’s belief he is worse out of structure/on the run
— TheYokester35 (@yokester35) November 21, 2024
“The worst take of the year,” said one fan.
Another fan added, “2 bad games in a row, and Colin will be drumming Bo out of the league. Biggest flipper of all time. Remember when he told us that Ben Simmons was the next LeBron [James]?”
Okay I watched the whole video. Colin said he is taking Bo Nix over
Jalen Hurts
Jared Goff
Jordan LoveOkay Lions Fans, Packers Fans this Eagles fan is uniting us all.
This is maybe the worst take ever https://t.co/3fTTNICaU9
— AJAR (@KingAjar) November 21, 2024
“Colin with yet another erroneous take,” said one fan.
“Colin… HE HAS A TOP 5 PASSER RATING IN THE NFL WHEN HE IS PLAYING IN THE POCKET. WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING?” wrote another fan.
“i tHiNk Bo iS a BeTtEr pOcKeT pAsSeR” 😒🤦🏽♂️😂 pic.twitter.com/DwQdeNBG6H
— Shawn Estrada (@CantCheck21) November 21, 2024
This is undoubtedly quite a wild take based on recency bias from Cowherd. Hurts, Goff, Prescott, and other quarterbacks have proven that they are elite at their position based on the work that they have put in over multiple years.
Nix has played just 11 games in the NFL, and even in that, he hasn’t been anywhere close to how good C.J. Stroud played in his rookie season. There’s no denying that the Broncos quarterback has exceeded expectations. Still, given his age and experience of playing five years in college, he was likelier to be a decent quarterback under Payton than not.
Nix Has a Legitimate Chance of Winning the OROY
With Caleb Williams struggling with the Chicago Bears over the last few weeks, it has looked like Jayden Daniels would run away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. However, that isn’t the case anymore, as Nix is slowly climbing up the ranks and could give the Washington Commanders’ rookie a run for his money.
Heading into Week 12, Nix is +300 to win the award, while Daniels is still a -400 favorite. Based on Pro Football Network’s in-house metrics, Washington has the third-easiest schedule left to play, which will give its quarterback a huge advantage in winning the award.
Denver has the eighth-easiest schedule left, but it still has to play the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs, all of which have defenses that can shut down Nix.
Regardless, Nix has done reasonably well in his rookie season, and the Broncos fans will be happy with the quarterback they drafted. They’ll hope that they have not already seen the best out of the 24-year-old quarterback and he’ll continue to get better under Payton’s guidance.