Nix measured in at 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, with 31.875-inch arms and 10.125-inch hands at this year’s NFL Combine.
Brees measured slightly over six feet tall, 213 pounds, with 31-inch arms and 10.25-inch hands at the 2001 NFL Combine.
As soon as the Denver Broncos and Sean Payton selected Nix with the 12th overall choice, parallels between the 24-year-old rookie and the potential Hall of Fame signal caller started to emerge. They didn’t slow down after that.
If Nix looked on the field just like Brees does, Sean Payton would be overjoyed.
After the Broncos’ eighth OTA practice of the spring exercise program on Tuesday, the coach who guided Brees to his gold jacket offered his commentary on the similarities.
Okay, let’s search for commonalities. Payton noted, “I would say mentally, [Nix] wants to know as much and as fast as he can,” alluding to a quality that Brees most likely possessed. “I believe there might be a maturity level because, once more, [Nix] participated in 61 games during his collegiate career, and when [the Saints] acquired Drew, he was coming off of a rookie contract and an injury.”
As Payton pointed out, Nix played in 61 games throughout his time in college. Brees had participated in 59 NFL games by the time he inked a contract with Payton and the New Orleans Saints in 2006.
“[Nix] finds the ball well and he’s accurate and I believe Drew was,” Payton went on, pointing out more noteworthy parallels.
77.45 percent of Nix’s passes were completed last year, setting an NCAA single-season record for completion percentage.
With 74.4 percent of his throws finding their target, Brees broke the NFL single-season record for completion percentage in 2018 while playing for New Orleans under Payton. Brees again led the NFL in completion percentage (74.3) the next season.
Nix has demonstrated his remarkable accuracy early in his NFL career.
On May 30, during the second week of OTAs, Payton stated, “He’s throwing the ball extremely well.”
Nix isn’t a perfect replica of Brees, though. With the two quarterbacks, not everything is the same.
According to Payton, “their personalities are different” on Tuesday. “He is a coach’s son. Drew was not a coach’s son by any means.
Luckily for Payton and the Broncos, Nix’s success or failure will be determined by their football field similarities.
The early signs are promising, particularly from the man who has the most knowledge of Nix and Brees.
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