Who is Bo Nix?

That’s the burning question when it comes to Oregon’s Bo Nix.

We can see by looking at that picture of him holding that football he appears to be a Christian, but who is he as a quarterback (QB)?

Is Nix the highly touted five-star recruit coming out of high school, or is the QB that had to transfer to Oregon because things didn’t work out at Auburn?

Is he the Oregon QB who looked awesome against UCLA, Washington and BYU in 2022, or is he the QB who melted down against Georgia?

How about this question – – is he the QB who couldn’t bring his team back against Washington, or is he the QB who did lead a comeback against Washington State?

That Georgia game

The Bulldogs offer the best “NFL audition” there is in the college ranks.

With that said, Nix looked awful in this game.

Georgia masterfully knocked Nix out of rhythm and kept him out of rhythm in a 49-3 thumping.

Nix looked overwhelmed.

Everything I saw that was good out of Nix prior to that now has an asterisk next to it because of that Georgia game.

Level of competition is a piece to the evaluation puzzle.

Natural talent

There’s no question the raw talent is there.

That’s the draw with Nix.

There’s a lot of things he does well…

– getting rid of the ball quickly

– being a dual-role threat

– taking minimal sacks and yardage losses

– showing good arm strength

– good downfield ball placement at the intermediate to deep levels – – his deep game is especially alluring

All of that is great.

What’s the problem?

Nix isn’t accurate when he’s being harassed by pass rushers and he struggles often when there’s pressure on him in a game situation.

In this way, he reminds me of Vikings’ QB Kirk Cousins.

Another big concern is Nix allowed defenders to get their hands on the football too often.

All told in these six games total studied, defenders got their hands on Nix’s throws 14x.

After watching these games, I now better understand why his time at Auburn was described as “up and down.” I was on that same roller coaster ride watching him at Oregon.

Does his skillset translate to winning in the NFL?

Nix has to improve in order to be considered more than a developmental prospect at the next level.

I vacillated from the first to third round during this six game study, but then I keep going back to the number one question I ask myself when I’m evaluating a college prospect and projecting him to the pros….

Has what I’m watching succeeded in the NFL?

1. Starting QBs in the NFL have to go through their progressions (they can’t lock in with receivers).

2. They also have to be able to keep defenders from getting hands on their passes.

Until he shows he can do these things, there’s no way he can be viewed as a potential franchise QB – – no matter how much he “reminds” us of former Ducks’ and current Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert.

#10 Bo Nix 6-foot-2, 213 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Spring 2023 Grade: Third-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by 32.1% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of May 8, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2022 game film reviewed: UCLA, Washington, BYU, Georgia, Utah, and Washington State (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2022 stats: 294/409 (71.9%), 3593 yards, 29 TD, 7 INT, 5 sacks, long-67

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Athletic dual-role prospect with above average accuracy, but marginal poise. Leads with a quick fluid tempo. Smooth pro-style look in the pocket. Good ball handling. Relatively quick release, but locks in. Good pocket mobility. Accurate on planned rollouts. Efficient short game. Strong enough arm. Works the whole field. Below average ball security. Tough and smart runner. Knows how to slide. Picks up decent chunks of yardage running. Defenses need to respect him as a runner.

What to watch for during the 2023 college football season:

1. Consistently going through progressions?

2. How many passes are getting defended?

3. How does he respond to pressure (pass rush and game situations)?

4. How does he look when his team is trailing?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated Lions, Jets, and 49ers, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.