Bo Nix Calls Out Sean Payton’s Big Decision With Broncos Unintentionally as NFL Announcement Confirms Final Draft Picks

Sports has a funny way of turning casual moments into full-circle irony, and Bo Nix just walked right into one. During a playful stadium food draft with Broncos beat reporter Zac Stevens. Nix actually said Coke or Crispy Coke in his words isn’t the captain of the stadium food! But, the next thing he said is something he experienced himself.

Nix confidently threw out a take: “You can’t draft a guy and then name him captain.” Little did he know, that’s exactly what happened to him in real life. Back in 2024, the Broncos snagged Bo Nix as the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft. He didn’t just show up—he made an instant impression, earning the respect of the locker room so quickly that his teammates voted him captain before he even played a single NFL snap. That’s a rare flex. In fact, the last Broncos rookie to be named captain? Hall of Famer Floyd Little in 1967.

Bo Nix: “You can’t draft a guy and then name him captain”

Bo, I think you can… that’s exactly what happened with youpic.twitter.com/lVGHltdeS5

— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) March 12, 2025

Nix didn’t take the honor lightly. “It’s an honor. It’s a privilege. I don’t take it lightly. I know it’s a big deal. It hasn’t happened often, but I am not going to take it for granted,” he said. And the best part? This wasn’t some coaching decision—it was his teammates who handed him the title, proving just how much they trusted him right out the gate.

Even Sean Payton had to admit how rare it was. “It’s unusual for a rookie to be named a captain… It’s a credit to him, and I think his teammates felt that he belonged in that position.” Basically, Nix had already won over the squad before even throwing a regular-season pass.

But before all that, he was just vibing with Stevens, talking about snacks like they were scouting football prospects. Bo Nix went for the reliable picks—popcorn, pretzels—while Stevens swung big with hot dogs and nachos. They broke it down like an actual draft, debating strengths and weaknesses like they were analyzing film.

At one point, Nix jokingly said beer wasn’t making his lineup because his “pre-draft interview” with it didn’t go well. Stevens, on the other hand, saw beer as a high-risk, high-reward player—kind of a wildcard pick. The conversation kept flowing, with Nix defending pretzels against accusations of being “soft,” arguing that experience and reliability made it a solid third-round steal.

The whole discussion was lighthearted, just two guys having fun. There wasn’t any major announcement from Bo Nix or anything. But in the end, it accidentally summed up Nix’s own journey. One minute, he’s joking about leadership in a made-up snack draft. The next? He’s proving on the field exactly why his teammates handed him the captain’s title before he even had to ask for it.

Broncos draft picks are set, while other teams cash in

The NFL just dropped the full list of compensatory draft picks, handing out 35 bonus selections to 15 teams that took Ls in free agency. Basically, if a team lost more key players than they signed, they got a little draft day boost.

As expected, the Broncos didn’t score any extras, but now we know exactly where they’re picking. Denver holds its original picks in the first four rounds: No. 20 (Round 1), No. 51 (Round 2), No. 85 (Round 3), and No. 122 (Round 4). They won’t be making moves in the fifth (sent to Miami) or the seventh (shipped to Philly), but they’ve got three shots in the sixth: No. 191 (via Arizona), No. 197 (their own), and No. 208 (via Philly).

Meanwhile, some teams walked away stacked. The Ravens, Cowboys, Dolphins, and 49ers each finessed four extra picks, and the Raiders got two late-round picks (Nos. 213 and 215). The Browns are sitting on a stash of 10 picks total, which is kinda wild.

Cowboys have gained four compensatory picks. Three in Round 5, one in Round 6

Nos. 170, 171, 174, 211 overall.

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 11, 2025

Biggest W? The Vikings snagged a third-rounder (No. 97) after letting Kirk Cousins walk, the Giants got a fourth-rounder (No. 99) for Xavier McKinney, and the Rams walked away with a third-rounder (No. 101). Even the Packers squeezed in a seventh-rounder (No. 250).

With the draft board officially locked in, teams are now in their war rooms, plotting their next big moves. Trades? Sleeper picks? Absolute chaos? It’s all on the table as we get closer to the 2025 NFL Draft. Buckle up.

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