Bo Nix QB Oregon: Scouting Report

Height: 6’2

Weight: 217

Overall

Bo Nix is an experienced quarterback in Oregon’s RPO heavy offense. He began his career at Auburn where he played in and started 34 games over 3 seasons. He then transferred to Oregon where over the last 2 seasons, played in 17 games and again started all of them. With all of his games as a starting quarterback he is the most experienced quarterback in NCAA history and he has the production to follow. 

Pass Game

In the pass game, Nix has sufficient footwork to stay square when moving about the pocket but when under pressure his footwork gets very sloppy resulting in him making a lot of throws off his back foot. When throwing off-balance though he continued to have good accuracy especially on short throws. He played in an offense that relied heavily on screens and short route concepts and he showed a quick release to get the ball into his playmakers hands on the outside. He has good velocity on his short and intermediate throws but lacks the elite velocity needed to fit the ball into NFL level windows outside the numbers and in between tight defenders. He has good arm strength when throwing down the field and he throws a beautiful deep ball deep down the sidelines. He is an accurate quarterback and can make all the needed throws to run an offense but there were times on film where throws were slightly behind his receivers or thrown over their heads when throwing hitches on the outside. When under pressure he has the athleticism to escape the pocket and he has good accuracy when throwing on the run. At times, he will try to do too much when escaping pressure resulting in big sacks deep behind the line of scrimmage or turnovers when he tries to force the ball into covered receivers. 

Run Game

In the run game, Nix was used on designed runs often on film and had a lot of success. While he does not have elite speed, he is quick in getting upfield with the vision to find open space. He also shows some power when he runs allowing him to break arm tackles and fight for extra yards. His mobility and experience in an RPO offense will allow him to be an immediate contributor on designed runs at the next level.

Last Word

Nix is a very experienced college quarterback who can make all the easy throws consistently but his lack of elite arm talent will prohibit him developing into a “win because of” quarterback. At his best, he is a “win with” quarterback who can lead an offense with his accuracy on short throws and ability to make plays with his legs. He projects best in a run-heavy offense that will let him run the ball himself and set-up play action where he can use his deep ball accuracy to generate home run plays. With his experience at the college level, he can be a starter early in his pro career if needed and he can win some games with the right players around him but he lacks the talent to be a franchise quarterback.

One-Liner: Bo Nix is an experienced quarterback who can make plays both in the air and on the run, but his lack of elite arm talent limits his ceiling.

Grade: 6.3 (Circumstantial Starter)

Games Watched: 2023 - Texas Tech, Washington, Utah, Colorado

Team Fits: New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets