Oregon's Bo Nix lands on Mel Kiper Jr.'s first 2024 NFL Draft preseason big board
With the 2023 college football season officially underway, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has released the first iteration of his big board ahead of the 2024 draft.
On Wednesday, Kiper released his top 25 overall players, with a brief explainer as to why each player made the list. He also listed his top 5-6 players at each position.
Only one Oregon player was mentioned by Kiper: Quarterback Bo Nix, who is listed as the No. 21 overall prospect and No. 4 quarterback.
Here’s the rundown from Kiper on the Ducks’ star signal-caller.
“There are several quarterbacks competing for the second tier behind Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, including Quinn Ewers (Texas), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington). I like Nix a little more, though, based on his massive improvement from a year ago. Nix started 34 games for Auburn from 2019-2021, completing 59.4% of his passes while throwing 39 touchdown passes with 16 picks. That’s fine, of course, but I never saw him as more than a Day 3 developmental pick.
After a stellar season at Oregon, though, I have moved Nix way up the board. He was magnificent, completing a stellar 71.9% of his passes while throwing 29 touchdown passes with seven picks and adding 14 rushing scores. That’s a Joe Burrow-esque rise after transferring. Nix has a strong arm, can drop dimes on the run, and his experience is a huge plus.
Can he keep it up this season? The Oregon offense puts Nix in a position to succeed, and he doesn’t always have to drive the ball down the field. I’d like to see more of those throws this season. He ranked 116th in the FBS in air yards per attempt (6.6) a year ago. That’s not his fault — he did an excellent job taking what the defense gave him. But he has the arm strength to make drive throws, and that’s how he can keep moving up the board.”
USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and Duke’s Riley Leonard are the only quarterback Kiper ranked ahead of Nix.
While Nix was the lone Duck to crack Kiper’s list, there are several other draft-eligible Oregon players who have popped up on NFL Draft radars over the past few months.
Running back Bucky Irving, receiver Troy Franklin, offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius, and defensive end Brandon Dorlus are widely considered to be some of Oregon’s top 2024 Draft prospects.
