Bo Nix has been selected by the Denver Broncos with the No. 12 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The former Auburn and Oregon quarterback left college as the NCAA record-holder for career starts and single-season completion percentage. His 16,965 total yards ranked second in NCAA history and his 152 total touchdowns ranked fourth. Nix began his career at Auburn before transferring to spend his final 2 seasons of eligibility at Oregon. Along the way, he authored a remarkable career for a man who began with so much pressure on his shoulders.

Now, Nix moves to the NFL, where he’s an elder statesman in his own class. At 24 years old, he’s nearly 2 years older than the No. 1 pick this year, USC’s Caleb Williams. Some thought the age meant Nix had already reached his developmental potential. Still, as the draft process unfolded, Nix continued to rise.

And with so many quarterback-needy teams vying for a new franchise face at the top of this year’s draft, Nix climbed all the way into the first round.

He’s Auburn’s first first-round selection since the 2020 NFL Draft, when the Tigers produced 2 of the first 30 picks. Oregon will also claim Nix, and his first-round selection will mark the fifth consecutive year the Ducks have had a player selected on the opening day of the draft.

Nix is the Ducks’ fifth quarterback selected in the first round during the modern era of the NFL Draft, joining Justin Herbert (2020), Marcus Mariota (2015), Joey Harrington (2002), and Akili Smith (1999).

He joins Cam Newton (2011) and Jason Campbell (2005) as the only former Auburn quarterbacks selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

As a senior, Nix was a Heisman Trophy finalist and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year for his role in helping the Ducks to a 12-2 record. Oregon played for the Pac-12 Championship and went on to beat Liberty in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, a game in which Nix was named the offensive MVP.

He was named an AP All-American after setting single-season Oregon records for completions (364), passing yards (4,508), and passing touchdowns (45).

In his Oregon career, Nix totaled 8,101 yards through the air, 744 yards on the ground, 94 total touchdowns, and led the Ducks to a 22-5 overall record with consecutive bowl victories.

His college career began as a 5-star prospect from Pinson (Ala.) Valley who walked into the program his father once played for. As a quarterback, Nix was a legacy. He started from Day 1, poetically making his collegiate debut against the Oregon Ducks at a neutral-site game in Texas to kick off the 2019 season.

Nix threw for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns that day, the last of which came with 9 seconds remaining on the clock to give Auburn a 27-21 victory. He went on to set Auburn freshman records with 2,542 passing yards and 16 touchdowns and was named the SEC Freshman of the Year for his efforts.

Across 3 seasons with the Tigers, Nix threw for 7,251 yards and 39 touchdowns while running for 869 yards and another 18 scores.

There are questions about his pro prospects. Nix was in a dynamite scheme at Oregon, and some analysts have wondered if he was too dependent on coordinators Kenny Dillingham and later Will Stein. Can he elevate an offense with his individual playmaking? Does he have the arm talent to be a franchise-changing quarterback?

As a first-round pick, Nix will get a chance to prove his detractors wrong.