The Denver Broncos used the 12th overall pick in last year’s NFL draft to select Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, and the team faced criticism for taking him at that spot.
The Broncos did not want to trade down and risk losing Nix to another club, including the division rival Las Vegas Raiders, who picked right below them at No. 13. In hindsight, it looks like that was the right decision.
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In a recent interview on “Check the Mic with Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson,” former Raiders general manager Tom Telesco hinted that Nix would have been in play for Las Vegas had he not gone off the board to Denver.
Telesco said the Raiders had conversations about Michael Penix, but probably wouldn’t have drafted him had the QB fallen to pick No. 13.
“Now, looking back, if I knew I only had one year there, maybe that would have been different, I don’t know,” Telesco said.
The ex-GM was then asked about the thought of trading up for a QB. He said they would have traded up for Jayden Daniels if possible, but wouldn’t have moved up for the QBs after him. Had somebody like Nix fallen to them, though?
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“If they were there … Bo Nix, his background of work, his durability, his movement skills — that one was interesting, and he’s gone to the perfect team. That would have been a good possibility [at pick No. 13].”
Nix went 2-0 against the Raiders last season and was invited to the Pro Bowl as an alternate after surpassing 4,200 yards from scrimmage and scoring 34 touchdowns as a rookie. Had the Broncos passed on Nix, he might have ended up with a division rival. So it seems safe to say Denver’s front office made the right choice to use pick No. 12 on Nix last year.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Ex-Raiders GM reveals fascinating Bo Nix nugget from 2024 draft