Bo Nix is one of the rare college players who started for five full seasons between two major college programs. Nix was rated as the best dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school and signed up to play for Auburn as their starter and won the SEC’s Freshman of the Year in 2019.
Nix played the next two years in Auburn, and suffered a season-ending injury in 2021 after ten games. He announced that he would enter the transfer portal, saying that he was unhappy playing under the new Auburn head coach, Bryan Harsin, in 2021.
Thanks to the fifth-year added to eligibility from the COVID years, Nix went on to play two more seasons at Oregon where he posted his best years. He was a Heisman finalist and broke Mac Jones record for the highest single-season completion percentage at 77.45%. Nix ended with a total of 15,352 passing yards (sixth in NCAA history) and 108 passing scores. He also ran for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Height: 6-2
Weight: 214 pounds
40 time: 4.60 seconds estimated
Nix threw at the NFL combine but did not participate in the timed drills. He was the highest-rated quarterback who did throw. He remains a first-round value but most likely to be drafted fourth or fifth among quarterbacks.
Table: Bo Nix NCAA stats (2020-23)
| Year | School | Games | Runs | Yards | TD | Pass | Complete | Yards | Avg. | TD | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Auburn | 13 | 97 | 313 | 7 | 377 | 217 | 2542 | 11.7 | 16 | 6 |
| 2020 | Auburn | 11 | 108 | 388 | 7 | 357 | 214 | 2415 | 11.3 | 12 | 7 |
| 2021 | Auburn | 10 | 57 | 168 | 4 | 323 | 197 | 2294 | 11.7 | 11 | 3 |
| 2022 | Oregon | 13 | 89 | 510 | 14 | 409 | 294 | 3593 | 12.2 | 29 | 7 |
| 2023 | Oregon | 14 | 54 | 234 | 6 | 470 | 364 | 4508 | 12.4 | 45 | 3 |
Pros
- Very mature and experienced 24-year-old. Showed continual improvement as a passer.
- Superior athlete with dangerous skills as a runner and underneath passer.
- Dual-threat that combined pinpoint passing with the ability to move the sticks with his legs on any play.
- “Quarterback fast” and superior quickness picks up the initial yards when he runs.
- Highly mobile with elite pocket awareness which makes him tough to sack. Creates opportunities when he breaks from the pocket.
- Open-field rushing ability forces defense to account for him breaking free on a run.
- Already accomplished at reading defenses, influencing the coverages and delivering highly accurate strikes.
Cons
- Will sometimes telegraph his primary read which will be penalized against NFL secondaries.
- Decision-making still needs work, particularly when hurried by pass rushers that force him off-script and into making quick decisions between where to throw or if to run.
- Coachable, but has played best within a system where he has reduced need to improvise. Has tended to throw more short passes, particularly under pressure.
- Comes from a program in Oregon that was predicated on throwing screens, Run-Pass Options and short-to-intermediate passes which account for his high completion rate. Less experienced in vertical schemes.
Fantasy outlook
Even in this quarterback-rich draft, Nix is expected to be called in Round One. Despite his extensive playing time and stats in college, he’s still needs more development and would best fit into any of the West Coast variant schemes that move the ball primarily on RPO’s in a very structured offense. His rushing ability puts him ahead of most other rookie quarterbacks.
Still, he is expected to be taken no higher than the fourth or fifth quarterback selected. That’s still first round and he’ll be selected to become a starter sooner than later. He’s been linked to teams like the Patriots, Giants, Vikings, Broncos, and Raiders. Spots where he may not be the Week 1 starter, but could take over at some point this season with an eye towards a bigger playoff as the fulltime starter in 2025.
