The Chiefs beat Sean Payton to Patrick Mahomes but Broncos coach has same confidence Bo Nix will be next great NFL QB
Sean Payton had every intention of drafting Patrick Mahomes.
But the Kansas City Chiefs leapfrogged Payton and the New Orleans Saints in 2017, trading up with Buffalo to take Mahomes with the No. 10 overall pick.
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At No. 11, Payton's old team drafted Marshon Lattimore -- a talented Pro Bowl corner back, but nowhere close to Mahomes in terms of franchise-changing talent and Super Bowl MVPs.
Seven years later, Payton is in his second year with the Denver Broncos, who have already moved on from veteran QB Russell Wilson.
On Thursday, Denver held the No. 12 pick.
And on a night when a whopping six QBs were taken in the first round, Payton made sure in 2024 that he exited with a new rookie arm.
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Denver took Bo Nix at 12.
According to ESPN, the veteran Denver coach already has a ton of confidence in Nix, who who set an NCAA single-season record for completion percentage (77.4) and threw 45 touchdowns last season for Oregon.
The highly experienced Nix spent three years at Auburn, then clocked two more with the Ducks.
He totaled 15,352 passing yards and 113 TDs in college, while his 61 starts were the most in FBS history.
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After watching Mahomes set records at Texas Tech, then end up one pick short of drafting him in 2017, Payton leapt at the chance to take Nix on Thursday.
If it all works out, Denver will have a new franchise QB and Payton will have his best arm since Drew Brees' career ended with the Saints.
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Payton wasn't the only one severely impacted by the Chiefs' then-stunning decision to leap up in the 2017 draft.
Cincinnati could have had Mahomes at No. 9.
But the Bengals instead choose wide receiver John Ross, who ran a burning 4.2 in the 40-yard dash but quickly washed out of the NFL and retired.
Now, Payton has Nix in Denver, while Mahomes has three Super Bowl rings and has turned Kansas City into a dynasty.
Payton, 60, won a Super Bowl with the Saints and is 160-98 in his NFL career.
He went 8-9 during a turbulent first year with the Broncos.
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