After deciding to come back for one more season, Bo Nix has finally exhausted his college eligibility and will be entering the 2024 NFL Draft. But where will be the best fit for the soon-to-be former Oregon football quarterback?
Oregon football revived Bo Nix's career
First of all, what Nix was able to accomplish since beginning his career as a prized recruit at Auburn is remarkable. Nix spent three years in the plains but had a fairly less-than-stellar career and failed to live up to any perceived hype that was spent on him. He often found himself in the middle between brilliance and ineptitude, typically because of errant decision-making, which accounted for 16 interceptions and completing just 59 percent of his passes.
Overall, though, it was the intense pressure from the Auburn fanbase to be the next great Tigers' quarterback that Nix noted on an appearance on College Gameday was his reasoning that led him to Oregon. After joining new Ducks head coach Dan Lanning, and at the time, former Auburn offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, in Eugene, the nation's former No. 1 dual-threat signal-caller flourished.
In two seasons with Oregon, Nix threw for 7,738 yards, 69 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and rushed for 228 yards and an additional 20 touchdowns. From 2021, his last year at Auburn, to his first year at Oregon the next season, in three more games, Nix surpassed his passing yardage by almost 1,300 yards, his passing touchdowns by 18, his rushing yardage by 342 yards, and his rushing touchdowns by 10.
He did even better in 2023. He threw for 552 more yards, 11 more touchdowns, cut his interceptions from seven to three. His rushing totals were cut back, but that didn't keep him from being one of the three finalists for the Heisman trophy award.
Nix was the most accurate passer in all of college football, posting a 77.2 percentage, completing 336 of his 435 passing attempts. He was second in passing efficiency, tied for first in passing touchdowns and second in passing yards. If not for losing to Pac-12 rival Michael Penix Jr. and Washington twice, and especially in the conference title game, Nix is probably the 89th winner of the Heisman Trophy.
Bo Nix decides to play in Fiesta Bowl
Nix will have one more opportunity in the Fiesta Bowl when Oregon takes on Liberty on New Year's Day, giving him an unprecedented 60th career start. This is unusual in this day and age when projected high draft picks such as himself typically tend to opt out of bowl games now if their team isn't playing in the College Football Playoff. “I want another opportunity to play with my teammates,” Nix said, while at the Heisman Trophy press conference, according to Oregon Live.
His decision might have a number of NFL teams across the league in need of a quarterback nervous. But should he make it out of the Fiesta Bowl unscathed, he should be a first- or second-round draft pick with the ability to help out a team almost immediately given his amount of experience. Currently, NFL Mock Draft Database has him projected in the first round, being taken 19th at best and 30th at worst.
We already know who will more than likely be going No. 1 overall, which will be fellow Pac-12 quarterback Caleb Williams of USC, but this will be a heavy quarterback draft class, including in the first round. In no particular order after that will be North Carolina's Drake Maye, LSU's Jayden Daniels, and possibly Michigan's JJ McCarthy should he decide not to remain in Ann Arbor one more season.
Bo Nix and the Minnesota Vikings make a lot of sense
Nix doesn't quite have all the abilities of those like the other aforementioned. While he's extremely accurate with good pocket awareness and can use his mobility to make plays, his arm strength and decision-making, among other things, could hold him out of the first round or maybe even later. But should he still find himself a first-rounder, then the perfect pick would be with the Minnesota Vikings.
As of now, the Vikings, sitting at 7-6, hold the 22nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Of course, that could change drastically between now and the end of the regular season, but more than likely, Minnesota shouldn't change too much. Being toward the lower end of the draft, that sets up well for them to pick Nix, who, again, isn't likely to be drafted near the top with his other quarterback counterparts.
The Vikings will most likely be moving on from Kirk Cousins next season as he will become a free agent. Since the veteran quarterback tore his Achilles tendon earlier in the season, that's left Minnesota mostly relying on Josh Dobbs behind center, whom they traded for from the Arizona Cardinals. That means they are currently void of a franchise quarterback.
Taking a quarterback is the ultimate risk/reward draft pick. If you find one of the rare gems, then you're set for a bright future. If not, then more than likely lots of people are losing their jobs, head coaches not excluded.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell needs to find his next quarterback, or who knows how much longer he has. Before his arrival, the Vikings hadn't made the playoffs in two years, but he did himself no favors when the New York Giants upset Minnesota in the Wild Card round last year.
The Vikings are currently in the playoff hunt right now, however, holding the sixth seed. But it would take a miracle for them to make some noise without a reliable starting quarterback. That's where Nix can come in next season.
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