Bo Nix will report to his first training camp with the Denver Broncos on Wednesday. An argument could be made that Nix’s arrival and performance during training camp will be the franchise’s most anticipated and watched since Peyton Manning joined the team in 2012.

Head coach Sean Payton and the Broncos used the No. 12 overall pick to select Nix in the 2024 NFL draft. Most mock drafts projected Nix as a late first-round pick, but more than a few had connected Nix to the Broncos. Nix’s accuracy – 77.4% completion rate in 2023 - has invited comparisons to the now retired Drew Brees, who was the quarterback under Payton in New Orleans for 15 seasons.

The rookie has received rave reviews from Payton during the team’s offseason workouts, OTAs and minicamps. The positive reviews have prompted 104.3 The Fan’s Cecil Lammey to predict the Nix-Payton combination “could be something special” in Denver.

Nix will compete with Jarrett Stidham for the starting job during training camp. Stidham enters training camp with the advantage of having been in Payton’s system for a full year and he started the final two games of the 2023 season. On the other hand, teams don’t draft a quarterback early in the first round with the thought of him holding a clipboard on the sideline. Nix is expected to win the competition and start in Week 1.

Lammey said Nix’s brain is like a “super computer” when it comes to processing information about what the defense is doing pre-snap and using his eyes to fool defenders during the play.

“This processing ability means he understands what the defense is doing before the snap. This is key to his success. It’s not all about reading the defense as you drop back to pass – it’s knowing how to set up the defense with your eyes as you drop back. You can do that by knowing what leverage corners have and what the defensive look is going to be.”

Nix is reportedly is a “gym rat,” someone who spends a lot of time studying film. Lammey said Nix’s study habits will help him in his preparation and work with Payton.

“I’m sure he and Payton are going to spend countless hours pouring over game film. Nix will know what tendencies are with the more experience he gets. Payton will learn more about what Nix can and can’t do as a rookie, and he can craft his offense to fit where the rookie’s development is at.”

If Nix and Payton can develop chemistry together, Nix has a chance to become the franchise quarterback the Broncos have been searching for since Manning retired nearly a decade ago.