FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons, who were in the quarterback market before the 2024 draft, heavily scouted Denver quarterback Bo Nix.
The Falcons (6-4) ended up drafting former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and are set to face Nix and the Broncos (5-5) at 4:05 p.m. Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.
Nix, who played at Auburn and Oregon, is starting. Penix is backing up Kirk Cousins and has played in one game this season.
“I ended up not seeing him in Indy (at the scouting combine),” Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “But we went to Oregon. He had a great workout for us up there. We had a big group that went up there and saw him workout.”
Robinson also interviewed Nix.
“Just talking with him,” Robinson said. “He totally loves football. You could tell how smart he was. Obviously, he’s got some twitch in his arm. He can make every throw. Extremely athletic. All those things were the reasons why he was drafted where he was.”
Nix went 12th overall and was the sixth quarterback taken in the 2024 draft.
“We had a lot of like for him as well,” Robinson said. “Certainly, leading up to it. It’s not surprising to see that he’s having some success, especially early on. He’s a veteran guy, (who) played a lot of college football. He’s still learning the NFL game, but is very talented.“
Nix has passed for 1,968 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He has also rushed 61 times for 290 yards and four touchdowns.
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