With the 12th overall pick in the 2024 Bleeding Green Nation community mock draft, Denver Broncos GM PBARB1978 selects ...

Bo Nix, QB, Notre Dame

Reality check: Three weeks out from the NFL draft and nearly a month into free agency, the two quarterbacks on the Denver Broncos roster are Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. Yes, you read that correctly. The Broncos parted ways with Russell Wilson during the offseason and are set to pay him roughly $38 million to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The NFL is a QB-driven league. In fact, the NFL QB might be the most important position in professional sports. Sitting at #12, the Broncos will need to be aggressive in moving up to acquire one of the top 4 Consensus QBs or could trade down a bit in an effort to acquire more draft capital but still land either Michael Penix, Jr or Bo Nix.

However, here we are in a first-round mock draft with no trades and Denver, in perhaps the worst-case scenario, has watched the consensus top QBs go off the board. The decision facing the organization is now whether to take the best player available, target a specific position, or suck it up and draft a QB that lacks clear consensus on being a high first-round pick.

Looking in the rearview mirror, would people really object to having Dak Prescott drafted in the first round? Tom Brady? Russell Wilson? And what about consensus high first round picks like Tim Couch, Ryan Leaf, and Jamarcus Russell? We can debate all we want about “value” within a draft or even within a round of the draft, but the reality is that projecting QBs (and perhaps any position) into the NFL is incredibly difficult. And so, if an organization is convinced that a Michael Penix, Jr or Bo Nix can be a high-performing starting QB, should the lack of consensus on “draft value” really matter?

If Denver is not enamored with either Penix or Nix, then they should opt to acquire as many talented players as possible during the draft and address the QB situation later. I suspect there will be a lot of fans and mock draft enthusiasts who reach that conclusion. Conversely, if there is true belief in either QB, then making the investment of the #12 overall pick would make complete sense.

The Pick: Ultimately, Bo Nix is a seasoned collegiate athlete with a lot of experience as a starting QB. He has played against some of the top competition in the country in the SEC and PAC-12 and, based solely on history, seems to fit what Sean Payton wants to do in terms of building an offense. The QB position is simply too critical to long-term success and while it might be “too early” to draft Nix based on the “experts” and the consensus value of each first round pick, Denver needs to have a long-term solve at the position. After all, the organization isn’t paying Sean Payton $18 million per year to build an offense around a backup or journeyman QB. And while Penix, Jr is more athletic and, in the eyes of some, may have a higher ceiling than Nix, the Broncos are going with experience, durability, and what they hope will be some version of Drew Brees 2.0.

And so, while all else equal, I would prefer not to take Bo Nix at #12, the reality of the QB situation in Denver dictates this selection.

2024 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Bears (Draftjunky): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2) Commanders (surefooted): Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
3) Patriots (niels.rosenquist): Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
4) Cardinals (eaglenomics): Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
5) Chargers (SeanEFootball): Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
6) Giants (89Tremaine) Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
7) Titans (Philly21): Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
8) Falcons (Eagles_Blitz80): Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
9) Bears (pheebthegoose): Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
10) Jets (GreenGrampa): Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
11) Vikings (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
12) Broncos (PBARB1978): Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
13) Raiders (iam4theBirdz)
14) Saints (Fly Like An Eagle)
15) Colts (J. Wil)
16) Seahawks (Phreezy E)
17) Jaguars (dredscottroberts)
18) Bengals (grantspectations)
19) Rams (Nolo0oo)
20) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen)
21) Dolphins (Neil Dutton)
22) Eagles (ablesser88)
23) Vikings (RabidPanda13)
24) Cowboys (Elliptical Man)
25) Packers (LeFire)
26) Buccaneers (FlJoe)
27) Cardinals (green1us)
28) Bills (Leo Bedio)
29) Lions (MrOilman)
30) Ravens (LancGuy)
31) 49ers (SakPrescott)
32) Chiefs (Hoosinole)

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected in the 2024 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Bears: QB Caleb Williams
2) Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels
3) Patriots: QB Drake Maye
4) Cardinals: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
5) Chargers: WR Malik Nabers
6) Giants: WR Rome Odunze
7) Titans: OT Joe Alt
8) Falcons: EDGE Dallas Turner
9) Bears: OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu
10) Jets: TE Brock Bowers
11) Vikings: QB J.J. McCarthy
12) Broncos: