Bo Nix

Jayden Daniels is 23 years old and has five years of experience at the college level. Bo Nix is already 24 years old and carries five years of legitimate starting experience. Both are going to hit the NFL plenty seasoned.

And at least one former general manager believes the pair should be plug-and-play options for the teams that draft them, perhaps even more so than projected top overall pick Caleb Williams.

"Daniels and Nix will be the best pros early," they told The Athletic's Ben Standig.

The interesting thing is that Daniels is seen as a player with upside left to tap into after taking a huge leap with LSU last season, winning the Heisman Trophy.

"He could end up being the best one," a personnel executive told Standig. "Good athlete and arm talent. I think he sees it and can process. Big drop-off after him and Williams."

Nix, on the other hand, is seen as a player who will be a solid option in the right type of system—likely of a spread, RPO-heavy approach that limits his reads and allows him to utilize his athleticism.

"Nix is just good enough at everything," a different personnel executive told Standig. "I don't wanna knock him for hitting open wide receivers on easy throws. I walked away wanting more from his tape."

Having run through the first round of the 2024 NFL draft multiple times already, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. added the second round to his latest mock released Wednesday.

Among the notable second-round picks Kiper had were the New York Giants trading up to No. 33 overall to select Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and the Los Angeles Rams acquiring the No. 37 pick to add Washington's Michael Penix Jr.

The Carolina Panthers, whose first pick is the 33rd selection, already own the Giants' second-round choice (No. 39 overall) from the Brian Burns trade.

Kiper's projection has New York sending the 47th pick, which it acquired from the Seattle Seahawks in the Leonard Williams trade, and a second-rounder in 2025 to move up 14 spots to get Nix:

"Surprised? Maybe we shouldn't be. Daniel Jones is locked in as the Giants' starter in 2024, but the team could part ways with him next offseason, when his guaranteed money drops. And if general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll are down on Jones after a tough 2023 that ended with a torn ACL in November, now is the time to start thinking ahead at the position."

There have been rumblings about the Giants potentially targeting J.J. McCarthy in the first round, but Kiper is projecting a scenario that allows them to add a top wide receiver prospect (Malik Nabers) with the sixth pick before addressing the quarterback spot.

The Rams are a sneaky quarterback destination, though probably not in the first round because they have more pressing roster needs. Matthew Stafford is 36 years old and missed eight games during the 2022 season due to injury issues.

Kiper projected the Rams to trade three picks (No. 52, 83 and 196) to the Los Angeles Chargers for the right to select Penix.

Jimmy Garoppolo is only signed to a one-year deal and Stetson Bennett, a fourth-round pick last year, spent his entire rookie season on the reserve/non-football illness list.

If the Rams were to draft Penix, they could allow him to develop for at least one season before taking over as Stafford's successor.

The Rams haven't drafted a quarterback in the first two rounds since Jared Goff was the No. 1 pick in 2016.

The Las Vegas Raiders will be hosting two notable quarterback prospects ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, former Washington passer Michael Penix Jr. is visiting the Raiders on Thursday while former Oregon signal-caller Bo Nix will meet with the team on Friday.

The organization currently owns the No. 13 overall pick in the draft.

ESPN's Adam Schefter previously noted on his podcast (h/t Casey Baker of Binge Sports) that there is a mutual "high level of interest" between the Raiders and LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, although they may need to trade up in order to select him as he may go as early as No. 2.

Las Vegas could certainly use a rookie quarterback to build around in 2024, as veteran Jimmy Garoppolo was released on March 13. Aidan O'Connell, a fourth-round pick in 2023, started in 10 games during his 2023 campaign although he may not be the long-term answer under center as he'll be turning 26 years old in the middle of the 2024 season.

Team owner Mark Davis hasn't been shy about his interest in a new quarterback, telling reporters on Feb. 5 that he discussed trading up from No. 13 during interviews with general manager candidates before ultimately hiring Tom Telesco to fill the vacant role.

"The quarterback is probably the most important players on the field, so you've got to ask the GM, what is their vision? It's an important question," Davis said, via NFL.com.

If the Raiders are unable to trade up for Daniels, Nix and Penix Jr. would likely still be available if the team chooses to stand pat at No. 13 or trade down.

In the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department, Penix Jr. was selected by Las Vegas with the No. 21 pick after a projected trade. Nix was not selected in the first round.

"If nothing else, Penix's selection is an indication of what a team wants their offense to be. Penix is a human flak cannon," B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen said. "He has a booming arm and a penchant for attacking down the field whenever possible."

The Raiders will be getting a closer look at both Nix and Penix Jr. during their respective visits with the team ahead of the draft on April 25.

The NFL draft is loaded with intriguing quarterback prospects this year, with Caleb Williams the overwhelming favorite to be the top overall player selected, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy all receiving top-four buzz and Michael Penix Jr. potentially a candidate to go later in the first round.

So where does that leave a player like Bo Nix?

According to ESPN's Jordan Reid, the Oregon quarterback didn't exactly clear up the main questions scouts had about him during the Senior Bowl:

Nix's limitations are apparent on the more challenging downfield passes. While he's surgical in the underneath areas, he's hesitant to push the ball to the intermediate-to-deep spots. His 6.3 air yards per pass attempt ranked 120th in the country. His struggles driving the ball and getting consistent velocity behind his throws were apparent at the combine, too. However, Nix clearly wanted to address the arm strength questions at his pro day, completing multiple passes 55-plus yards down the field with great placement.

Scouts wanted to see how Nix could operate outside the Oregon scheme at the Senior Bowl, but it remains relatively unanswered. He was uneven throughout the week in ball placement and driving the ball.

The B/R NFL Scouting Department ranked Nix 81st among all prospects on its latest big board, fifth among quarterbacks (he was one spot higher than Penix).

On an NFL team that lets him run an RPO, spread-style offense, Nix could potentially thrive. But whether he can make downfield, tight-window throws in crunch time remains to be seen, and those questions could hinder both his draft stock and overall upside.

Former New York Jets general manager and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum had six quarterbacks come off the board in the first round of his 2024 NFL GM mock draft on Tuesday.

Rather than projecting what he thinks will actually happen in the draft, Tannenbaum did the mock based off what he would do if he was general manager of each team, and it resulted in a quarterback frenzy.

Tannenbaum mocked USC's Caleb Williams to the Chicago Bears at No. 1, North Carolina's Drake Maye to the Washington Commanders at No. 2 and LSU's Jayden Daniels to the New England Patriots at No. 3. Then, he shockingly had the Arizona Cardinals take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy fourth overall despite already having Kyler Murray on the roster.

Later in the first round, Tannenbaum had the Cardinals trade Murray and a third-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 11 overall pick.

Tannenbaum went on to mock Oregon quarterback Bo Nix to the Denver Broncos at 12th overall and Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to the Los Angeles Rams at 19th overall, making it six signal-callers off the board in the first 19 selections.

Perhaps no team in the NFL has a bigger quarterback need than the Broncos after they released veteran Russell Wilson and have declined to replace him thus far.

The only quarterbacks on Denver's roster currently are Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci, and it seems highly unlikely that it will enter the 2024 season without adding someone else.

As much as Denver needs a quarterback, the board may not fall in its favor since it seems likely that the top three picks in the draft will be quarterbacks, plus the Vikings have more ammo to trade up if they so choose with two first-round picks.

That means the Broncos will likely either need to take the No. 5 quarterback in the draft at 12th overall or address other positions of need before taking a quarterback later in the draft.

If Tannenbaum was in charge of the Broncos, he would roll the dice on Nix, who is coming off a massive senior year at Oregon.

Nix, who had the most career starts by a quarterback in college football history with 61, completed a remarkable 77.4 percent of his passes for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and just three interceptions with the Ducks last season while also rushing for 234 yards and six scores.

He is as efficient and experienced as any quarterback in the draft, but he is also already 24 years of age and isn't known for having a huge arm, which could scare some teams away.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton helped guide quarterback Drew Brees to a Hall of Fame career with the New Orleans Saints, though, and it can be argued that Nix is a more physically gifted quarterback.

Perhaps Tannenbaum's most surprising pick in his mock is the Rams using the No. 19 overall pick on Penix.

The Rams already have their starting quarterback from 2024 and likely beyond in place in the form of Matthew Stafford.

Stafford is 36 and has an injury history, so it is fair to wonder how much longer he will play, but he led L.A. to a Super Bowl win in 2021, and after missing significant time due to injury in 2022, he bounced back to lead the Rams to the playoffs last season and was a Pro Bowler to boot.

Penix took the University of Washington to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last season and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in the process, completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 picks.

The lefty was oft-injured during his time at Indiana, but he largely stayed healthy in two seasons at Washington and has a clean bill of health entering the NFL.

It is somewhat difficult to envision a playoff team in the Rams eschewing a player who can help them right away in favor of a quarterback of the future, but as the Green Bay Packers showed with their past selections of Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love, it is a formula that can work.

A panel of ESPN experts offered new insight into the quarterback discourse heading into the 2024 NFL draft.

Analysts Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates worked through the first 12 picks and didn't provide any early surprises. USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels and North Carolina's Drake Maye were the first three players off the board.

Miller projected the next QB, J.J. McCarthy of Michigan, to land at No. 6 to the New York Giants. After the dreadful 2023 season Daniel Jones had—in addition to his torn ACL— nobody will be shocked if New York wants to make a change over one offseason after handing Jones a four-year, $160 million contract.

Miller did venture off the beaten path, however, when he took Bo Nix at No. 12 while playing the role of the Denver Broncos general manager.

"Is this too early for Nix? Based on rankings, yes," he said of the choice. "But the Broncos are desperate for a signal-caller, and Nix's accuracy and timing are a fit for Sean Payton's offense."

There's no question Nix had a prolific two-year run at Oregon, throwing for 8,101 yards and 74 touchdowns in 27 games.

Taking him with a top-15 pick would be a significant reach, though. He's the 81st-ranked player on Bleacher Report's 2024 big board, and B/R NFL scout Derrik Klassen compared him to career backup/spot starter Gardner Minshew.

"Nix will ultimately be a dice roll on athleticism and accuracy," Klassen wrote in his scouting report. "With that said, it's a little worrisome that Nix is still unrefined in some areas as an older prospect with a ton of games under his belt. Nix would fit best in a spread-oriented offense that emphasizes RPOs, the quarterback run game and vertical passing."

The general premium on quarterbacks means the Broncos could feel an overwhelming level of pressure to take the chance on Nix. They don't have a second-round pick so by the first time they're on the clock on Day 2 (No. 76), the QB landscape could be pretty barren.

Even with that in mind, one could question whether Nix would be a good value play for Denver when it could focus on a different position and get a player who's much more likely to hit.