Almost anything in football can be viewed in relation to the quarterback.

The premium positions beside the guy under center? Those who can protect him, impact him or make plays in the passing game for him.

When you’ve got a rookie like the Broncos do after taking Oregon’s Bo Nix in the first round Thursday night, that emphasis only grows.

“The (rookie quarterback) challenge is exciting, but it’s still, you want good quarterback play,” Payton said Thursday night. “The two biggest allies to that, I believe strongly, are good defensive play and a running game. In other words, if you are a quarterback and you’re having trouble running the ball — or let’s get worse — if you’re a quarterback and you’re having trouble running the ball or stopping people, your job description becomes very difficult.

“When you’re playing good defense and you have a running game, your job description is a little bit more palatable.”

With needs across the board, then, the Broncos set about working on the defensive side of the ball with their lone Day 2 selection, drafting Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss with the No. 76 overall pick.

Elliss has backfield production that rivals anybody in the class. He’s on the smaller side at 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, but that didn’t stop him from racking up 12 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in just 10 games his final season playing for a rugged Utes defense led by longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham.

“My effort is elite when it comes to the game. I think that’s just how I was raised,” said Elliss, whose father, Luther, finished his playing career with the Broncos in 2004 and later served as the team’s chaplain, including for the 2015 Super Bowl 50 championship team. “I’m a great pass-rusher and I bring that to a team, as well. Where I need to grow is just perfecting the little things, the little techniques, especially in my run fits.”

The Broncos defense had bright moments in 2023, particularly during a turnover binge-fueled five-game winning streak, but overall languished near the bottom of the league. Among ESPN’s team win-rate stats, Denver finished 30th in pass rush and 28th in stopping the run.

They’re hoping Elliss can join a group of young pass-rushers to improve those marks.

Ideally, teams in the NFL are drafting not to plug current gaps but with eyes on the future. Elliss joins a group of edge rushers the Broncos like in Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and potentially Drew Sanders. Still, Browning and Cooper are entering the final years of their rookie contracts and as such it is easy to see Elliss as both a complementary piece as soon as he’s ready and also a potential replacement or supplement beginning in 2025.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Elliss said he patterns his game after Hassan Reddick, who blossomed into a difference-maker in Arizona under now-Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

“We have a similar stature and we kind of use the same moves,” Elliss said. “He’s really a speed guy and that’s what I’m trying to be, too. I watched his film a lot during the offseason going into my junior year.”

Now Denver goes into a busy third day of the draft having simultaneously hit on two positions of need while also showing restraint uncommon of Payton teams. The Broncos used each of their first two picks at their assigned slots and now have six Saturday selections.

In many ways, the start of the draft is similar to how the Broncos have operated this offseason. They’ve spent modestly. They’ve exercised patience more often than aggression. They’ve kept an eye on the future while plugging holes in the present. Now they’ll have a chance to add several low-budget players to the roster in a portion of the draft where the talent is expected to drop off but where gems can still be identified.

Denver has No. 121 in the fourth round and then three of the first 12 picks in the fifth round (Nos. 136, 145 and 147).

The quarterback was the fun part. These are the days that help determine how well-built the support system around him is.

EDGE Jonah Elliss

Round/pick: 3rd/No. 76

Age: 21

Height/weight: 6-foot-2/248 pounds

College: Utah

Hometown: Moscow, Idaho

Notable: Elliss comes from a football family. His father, Luther, was a two-time Pro Bowler who played nine seasons for the Detroit Lions and one with the Broncos. His brothers, Kaden, Christian and Noah, currently play in the NFL. In 2023, he collected 37 tackles (16 for loss), 12 sacks and three passes defended in 10 games before missing the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury that kept him from working out at the NFL scouting combine in February.

Quotable: Elliss on his dad’s time with the Broncos: “He still talks about how great of a culture and what a great fanbase they have out there. Honestly, the culture is something he mentions a lot and how it’s just a really good bond out there.”

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.

Last night, I ran a survey asking Denver Broncos fans how they would grade the team’s first round pick of quarterback Bo Nix. Many of us expected them to trade back to get him after the 12th overall selection, but quarterback desperate teams left Sean Payton and George Paton little choice but to take Nix as the sixth overall quarterback taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Overall, we were mostly pleased with the pick despite the perception of it being a bit of a reach to take Nix that early in the draft. There was an even split between ‘A’ and ‘B’ grades but a total of 76% of fans voted for either of those.

We can probably guess that us fans were far more optimistic than the national media, so let’s see what draftniks around the web had to say about the Broncos picking Bo Nix in the first round.

Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

Broncos Draft Grades

SBNation: C+

The run on QBs continues, with the Nix to Denver rumors being true. While Nix is a good point and shoot QB with accuracy to the short areas of the field, a lot of that Oregon offense was watered down and his responses under pressure left a lot to be lacking. Denver was in a tough spot in this draft, needing a QB but not having the capital to move up to do it. Better hope he works out.

DraftKings: C

The good news is that the Broncos didn’t mortgage their future to trade up for J.J. McCarthy. But they did spend some nice draft capital on a player that doesn’t really deserve to go in the first round. The good news is that his skill set does fit with Sean Payton’s offense. Of course, his trouble comes with pressure and the NFL is not kind to QBs that don’t deal with pressure well. If they can protect him, Nix will be accurate and spread the ball around well. He’ll need to get his confidence up early in his career with help from the running game and defense.

NFL.com: C

I figured Nix would be in the mix in the top dozen picks because of his experience (61 collegiate starts), toughness and mobility. Denver badly needed a new quarterback after the departure of Russell Wilson, and Nix was the top remaining passer in the top two tiers at the position. He does not have the arm talent of the quarterbacks picked ahead of him, and he lacks elite quickness as a runner. He also struggled with his consistency early in his career at Auburn, but he bounced back in a new environment at Oregon. Head coach Sean Payton and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb probably liked the young man’s combination of efficient play and competitive spirit but it will be interesting to see if he has the game to warrant the 12th overall selection.

The Athletic: C+

The 2024 quarterback thirst is very real. Make it six QBs gone in the top 12.

This one, somehow, didn’t feel as shocking as the Penix pick — in part because that already happened. There’s a lot to like about Nix. In fact, the conversation surrounding the former Oregon passer is very similar to the one about Penix: He’s older and comes with physical limitations. Unlike Penix, though, Nix played in a very college-style offense at Oregon.

Advertisement

But Sean Payton knows quarterbacks, and Denver can’t go anywhere without one. The fit here does work, as Nix’s quick release and poise should fit pretty well with Payton’s scheme. Still, as with the Penix pick, it sure feels like Denver could’ve gotten more value here. It’s a bold move, if nothing else.

CBS Sports: C-

I don’t love Nix, but I get the pick. Desperation forces teams to pick quarterbacks earlier than they should. Sean Payton obviously sees Drew Brees in him, but this is way early. Why not trade down and get him later?

USA Today: C+

With a rush on quarterbacks and the organization lacking a second-round pick, Denver might have been somewhat boxed in during its pursuit of a quarterback. But perhaps this is the signal-caller that best fits Sean Payton’s exacting style. With a Football Bowl Subdivision-record 61 starts under his belt, Nix stands out from other rookies with his experience and all that comes along with it. But that’s to be expected of a 24-year-old. He’ll have to prove he can let plays develop after operating out of a quick-hit offense that provided him an abundance of easy throws behind the line of scrimmage and in the underneath range. Payton, however, likely will heavily emphasize the screen game as he works Nix into the offense. Ultimately, however, Nix might not elevate this team so much as keep it afloat as it enters what could be a trying 2024 season.

DraftWire: B+

With a lightning-quick arm, elite accuracy, and tons of experience, Nix should be an immediate upgrade for a Denver team that has been looking for its quarterback for a decade now.

It would seem that most of the concern about the Broncos pick with Bo Nix is that it is universally seen as a reach and that is why the grade isn’t higher than a C, but also they think Nix is a great fit which is why the grades are not lower than C. Only time will tell if this pick ends up being a true draft steal or draft reach.

What do you think of the differences of opinion between us fans and the national media on Denver’s pick here? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

When Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton met with the media after the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, one thing became pretty clear early on — Sean Payton got the quarterback he was pining for through the whole pre-draft process.

However, the process wasn’t lacking in stress in that room for Payton and Paton. They had expected a team like the New York Giants to throw a wrench into things, but it ended up being the Atlanta Falcons who shocked everyone.

“Honestly, we felt like the Giants were the joker team in that there were three teams at the front that needed quarterbacks, Payton said last night. “Right, we all knew those teams: Chicago, Washington and New England. Then we knew there was a second stretch of Minnesota, Denver and the Raiders. So we kept [saying], ‘Man, are the Giants going to take one?’, because that then impacted how the last three were going to be. So when they didn’t, I think I said to George, ‘We think Minnesota likes [QB JJ] McCarthy. We don’t know this, but we think the Raiders like [QB Michael] Penix, and we like Nix. Let’s get on a conference call with all of them and say none of us spend any money. We think we know this.’ (laughs) Then Atlanta took Penix and then all of the sudden we’re paying attention to the team behind us. It got a little crazy there for a minute. The process was long and thorough, and man we’re excited. We’re excited. This was the night, tomorrow is the night where everyone says, ‘We got our guy.’ I told George, I said, ‘I think we’re in a position right where we’re at.”

If you are asking yourself why Denver ended up taking Bo Nix at #12 and didn’t bother attempting to trade back, then you can see why. The Falcons taking Michael Penix changed their entire dynamic and there was no way the Broncos were going to take a chance with the Las Vegas Raiders right behind them on letting Nix slide by.

Then the media asked Payton some questions about Nix the player and you could just see his demeanor change. He became quite animated and excited to talk about the Broncos new first-round quarterback and that is certainly something to get excited about.

“He’s extremely smart,” Payton said of the Broncos interview process. “We tried to send these guys similar tests—they were identical—the night before, 5:00 p.m., e-mailed the test. When I say the test, the series of first-, second-, third-day install. So quite a bit to study. [When it is] 5:00 p.m. and you get three days of install, and we’re meeting at 9 [o’clock] in the morning, it’s almost purposefully a little bit more than we think. Then at what point do they fail? In other words, it’s a lot.

“These guys all were really impressive. We got there at 9 a.m. and we gave him the test at 5 p.m. He’s sitting there in the office, and you could tell that he probably had been in the hotel room, do not disturb, pot of coffee, just grinding on it. So he’s extremely intelligent, really smart. He handled a lot of the protections. I gave you five or six different statistics. Negative play differential. When you watch him, it’s pretty calming. He’s very efficient, and it’s not just because of the [underneath throws]. You see a ton of NFL throws in their offense. His accuracy, he set an NCAA record. Then was he making the throws that we’re going to ask him to make? I think the one thing over the years, if you study it closely, guys that get sacked a lot in college tend to get sacked a lot in the NFL. Sometimes, that might be processing. Often times, we’ll look at the offensive line, the ball comes out and it comes out sometimes in funny body positions. He has a quick stroke.”

Being the son of a coach likely helped Bo Nix in ways that other quarterback prospects just can’t match. That he understands schemes and football likely adds to his quick processing abilities. All things that clearly gets Sean Payton excited to work with the young man.

Payton continued to talk about some of the other aspects to Nix that impressed them during the process that ultimately led to Denver happily taking him with that 12th overall selection.

“George and I watched his Pro Day on video, and the very next day we’re there for his private [workout],” Payton continued. “We tried to count, ‘All right, how many misses were there?’ One of them—it’s really amazing to see the location. When we have critical factors for certain positions, obviously at quarterback one of the critical factors is are they accurate? There has to be receivers, do they catch the ball well? Linebackers, do they… So he’s extremely accurate.

“I was surprised at how big he was. He was a little bit taller than 6’2”, close to 220 pounds. I had just watched TV games until we started the film process. So those were a few of the things. He’s the son of a coach. His father played at Auburn. I’d say he’s kind of a gym rat. He’s older; he’s married. It’s going to be hard for anyone to break 61 games [played] unless there’s another pandemic because he was able to play five years.”

The note about the pandemic is important too, because Bo Nix is 24 and played five seasons in college. If he is going to come into Denver and be that franchise quarterback, then he is going to have to be ready to start Week 1. Given how Sean Payton feels about Bo Nix, there is a good chance he’ll win out that starting job and be the Broncos start this season.

All of us in Broncos Country will be pulling for him to change the course of this franchise.