Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton are in consensus. Bo Nix is the quarterback of the future.
That much was evident in their process to choose him with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 draft. But that didn’t stop the Broncos from exploring the position after the draft, even if only for a cursory look.
They extended a rookie minicamp invite to Colorado School of Mines QB John Matocha.
“Colorado School of Mines quarterback John Matocha has received an invitation to the Denver Broncos’ rookie mini camp,” MinesAthletics.com’s Tim Flynn wrote on April 29.
“A three-year all-American, which included the Harlon Hill Award as the national player of the year in 2022, Matocha led Mines to 50 wins as a four-year starter, winning four consecutive RMAC titles, three straight NCAA regional championships, and the program’s only two appearances in the NCAA Division II national championship game.”
The Broncos had seven draft picks coming into the draft. They used four of them on prospects that could develop alongside Nix on offense. That includes his former college wide receiver, Troy Franklin.
Matocha is undersized for the position at 5-foot-11 and did not go against the highest level of competition in college.
But he could provide an exciting camp arm through the summer and preseason.
Broncos Boast Record-Setting QB Room
GettyHead Coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos.
Matocha’s list of accomplishments goes on too, with the local legend who marches to the beat of his own drum.
“Matocha graduated from Mines as one of the top quarterbacks in NCAA Division II history, throwing for 15,006 career yards and 162 touchdowns, rushing for 1,982 yards and 28 touchdowns, and compiling the best quarterback rating in D-II history at 172.4,” Flynn wrote. “He ranks first all-time in college football history in passing and total (191) touchdowns, and is second in D-II history total offensive yards (17,006), and third in passing yards.
He joins Nix, who set the NCAA record for accuracy, completing 77.4% of his passes last season. Nix also finished his career with the most starts with 61 games under his belt.
Matocha’s accolades can go toe-to-toe with any Broncos QB.
“In 2023, he passed for 4,298 yards and 43 touchdowns in 15 games while completing 71 percent of his passes,” Flynn continued. “He also ran for a career-high 4.2 yards per attempt with five touchdowns.”
Broncos Are Bo Nix’s Team to Lose
GettyQuarterback Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos.
Nix was no consolation prize at QB for Payton and the Broncos. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer erased that notion. His latest batch of intel explained the process that went into the pick.
There was even some internal secrecy about who their top choice was.
“On the board in the Denver draft room, all of the quarterbacks were stashed on the bottom left corner, in no particular order, both to prevent any sort of bias in discussion and also, simply, to keep the brass’ secret,” Breer wrote on April 29.
“Enough people, by then, had connected the dots to where Denver had to be careful. Which is one reason why the Broncos stayed where they were at 12, resisting a trade back, and had mild concern that the Raiders could leapfrog them. Once [Michael] Penix went at No. 8, that killed any idea of a trade down, since it took that option off the table for a Vegas group that had been linked to the Washington QB. Denver was locked in, fingers crossed that nothing would change.”
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