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Daniel Jeremiah: QB Bo Nix 'Punished' by NFL Scouts, Experts for Oregon's Offense

Doric Sam

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has flown under the radar ahead of Thursday's NFL draft, especially compared to some of the other quarterbacks in the 2024 class.

During an appearance on the Green Light podcast, NFL Network's draft expert Daniel Jeremiah offered his thoughts as to why Nix doesn't appear to be generating interest from teams in the quarterback market.

"I think he gets a little bit punished for the offense. My whole thing is like, in the offense he was in, he literally set the NCAA record for completion percentage," Jeremiah said around the 21:40 mark. "But people look at the analytics stuff with the average depth of target, and he's just getting the ball out quick, easy completions, and then when it's not that he's laying the ball up over the top, so you don't see him working in the middle of the field as much as maybe some of the other guys. So that's where some of it [comes from]."

Nix transferred to Oregon in 2022 after spending the first three years of his college career at Auburn. He had a breakout year in 2023 in which he placed third in the Heisman Trophy voting after throwing for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing an NCAA-record 77.4 percent of his passes.

Jeremiah added that Nix's detractors also point to his struggles while playing at Auburn, but he said other quarterbacks like Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. don't face the same criticisms for how they began their respective careers.

"It just feels like Bo Nix is held to some Auburn moments more so than any of these other quarterbacks. ... Guys are allowed to get better, guys are allowed to improve, guys are allowed to play in a little bit more friendly environment in regards to who they're playing with and who they're playing against," he said.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked Nix as the No. 5 quarterback in the latest draft big board and predicted he would be picked in the second round by the Las Vegas Raiders in its three-round mock draft.

   

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