Sean Payton has his guy and it seems like Bo Nix was his guy all along in this draft process.
Though it may not be the best pick in the minds of everyone, it is certainly a pick Payton is fully on board with. After suffering through a season in which he was handcuffed to Russell Wilson, Payton should be able to do what he wants with his quarterback. If you listen to what he told Pat McAfee shortly after making the pick, he made it quite clear how he saw Nix in this process.
"Bo Nix is super intelligent and he's the most accurate passer in College Football history..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 26, 2024
He handles the protections and his arm strength is extremely impressive"
Sean Payton #PMSDraftSpectacular pic.twitter.com/R6sEAYEDPJ
Payton made some key statements in this quick interview.
- Payton spoke to Nix's intelligence
- He was first on third-down conversions, first with the fewest sacks, college football's most accurate passer ever, best in the two-minute drill and then repeated he allowed the fewest sacks (that is a key in this interview).
- He handles all of the protections and "he's a tough sack"
- He was impressed with his arm strength at his pro day
- Said "we can't be the only one seeing this" in relation to Nix's talent during an ownership meeting
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There is no doubt that Payton was enamored with Nix and when reviewing these comments, it's almost all of the things that Russell Wilson was not last season, particularly in relation to being sacked. Payton's biggest issue with Wilson, though he probably would never say so publicly, was all of the avoidable sacks that he took last season.
Payton knows that this pick will define his legacy, at least as it relates to his time in Denver. The team was always going to take a quarterback, it was just a matter of when. Regardless of how fans feel about how he used that pick, he is not wavering in his decision to make it whatsoever.
