The curious way Broncos locked in on Bo Nix with most 'arrogant' pick in the NFL Draft

Four picks after the Falcons selected Penix, the Broncos took Oregon star Bo Nix at No. 12.

It finished a whirlwind run on quarterbacks — half of the first 12 picks at the position — and some felt Denver reached for the 24-year-old Nix.

"I promise you, I've talked to… at least 10 guys in the league that are high ranking evaluators and decision makers in their organizations. Nobody else had a first-round grade on (Bo Nix)," draft expert Todd McShay, who was part of ESPN's layoffs last summer, said during an appearance on "The Ryen Russillo Podcast" on Friday.

"But now he's in Sean Payton's system, and Sean loves him and they're going to work together… I do think that he's going to wind up being better in Denver than he would've been just about anywhere else in the league as a second-round pick. But my goodness, this is an arrogant pick."

McShay, who said he viewed Nix as a backup, explained that the Denver-Nix experiment is "hard to buy" based off of the film he's seen — but Payton could be among the few capable of making it work.

"Sean Payton doesn't need a pat on the back. He doesn't need to prove anything at this point," McShay said. "But if he coaches Bo Nix into a Pro Bowl type of player, and they go make deep playoff runs with this guy, it's better than any coaching job he did with [Saints quarterback] Drew Brees." Brees was great, they won a Super Bowl [together in 2010], but his skillset translated more [when he teamed up with Payton] than Bo Nix."

"It's all dependent on Sean Payton and his work with Bo Nix. So it's all time 'F you,' like hey, you guys don't think he's a starter, you're going to take him in the second round. I'm taking him at 12 and we're going to go chase a Super Bowl."

McShay comments came before a piece by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer detailed what sold the Broncos on Nix during a pre-draft meeting in Eugene, Oregon.

What was inside Nix's backpack confirmed what the Broncos had heard about the Heisman candidate.

"Nix reached inside, and grabbed a roll of tape that he explained he'd need for his ankles if he were going to train," Breer wrote of three-hour meeting. "He also pulled out a spare pair of football cleats and a lacrosse ball that he said he'd use for rolling out his back. And what wasn't in the bag was just as significant. Everything was football-related. All of it."

The Broncos were also reportedly impressed with Nix after he successfully recalled three days worth of offensive play installations the night before his private workout.

Payton coordinated with GM George Paton to keep the Broncos' intentions at quarterback quiet.

"I was actively involved in trying to pretend we were moving forward," Payton said while smiling in a press conference on Friday.

Paton also explained that he believes Nix is "game ready" given the QB's experience at Auburn and Oregon, where he started a combined 61 games.

It's part of a new era for the Broncos after they released Russell Wilson, who went 11-19 in his two seasons in Denver, and seemed to have a contentious season with Payton in their one season together.

Denver brought in Payton ahead of the 2023 season to turn things around and made him highest-paid coach in a deal for five years worth an estimated $18 million.

Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Steelers after he was released by the Broncos.