As the NFL Draft neared last year, Bo Nix’s boosters drew favorable comparisons between the former Pinson Valley High School and Auburn quarterback and 13-time Pro Bowler Drew Brees. Those comparisons led to the conclusion that Nix would be a perfect pick for the Denver Broncos, whose second-season coach, Sean Payton, worked with Brees for 14 seasons with the New Orleans Saints.

The Broncos did draft Nix at No. 12, and the rookie QB helped Denver reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.

As the Broncos opened training camp with their first practice on Wednesday, Payton told reporters that Nix had visited Brees at the former quarterback’s home in San Diego this offseason.

“(Nix) is someone that works his tail off, wants to improve,” Payton said. “The whole offseason is planned out. He’s gone and visited Brees for four or five days. And has (throwing guru) Tom House in here. And there’s a lot that he wants to absorb in a fast period of time, and that’s a great thing for a young player like that. And we’re never just going to pick up from where we left off, but there’s a lot of building to do when we look at last year and a lot of positive things to look at. …

“(Nix) just reaching out and just coordinating some time to dive into the offense schedule, the calendar, his schedule, his work week, in-season. Tom House is someone that all of that is just stuff he’s doing on his own. And again, that’s what you’re looking for.”

In his first NFL season, Nix threw for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns, the eighth-most yards and second-most TD passes for a rookie in NFL history.

Brees threw 27 passes during his rookie season in 2001, but he threw 10,524 over the next 19 seasons and ranks second in NFL history in passing yards and touchdown passes.

“Drew lives in San Diego, and (Nix) spent some time going there,” Payton said. “Just with the schedule and wanting to know more about the offense, and so I don’t even know when he went, but I just know he went. And yeah, I mean, it was him doing more research at the position.”

House is a former Major League relief pitcher whose moment in the national spotlight came on April 8, 1974, when he caught Hank Aaron’s historic 715th home run in the Atlanta Braves bullpen and delivered the baseball to Hammerin’ Hank at the plate.

Since his playing days, House has become an independent throwing coach for pitchers and quarterbacks.

Payton said House’s work with Nix wouldn’t be noticeable in the quarterback’s throwing motion.

“There’s a lot of just management of your arm, delivery,” Payton said. “No, none of us will see exactly. There’s just certain warm-up techniques, if you will, so you’re not going to see a different release. The arm care for a pitcher might be different than the arm care for a quarterback. And then how you warm up, there may be some parallels. But I don’t know that we’re going to see it with our eyes.”

After posting 10 victories in 2024 in Denver’s first winning season since 2016, the expectations being placed on the Broncos are higher than they were at this time last year.

“We’re still a work in progress,” Payton said. “And yet it’s not the national expectations. It’s just there was a belief a year ago, I think, by many of us internally, that we had a team that could compete, certainly for an opportunity in the division and for an opportunity to get in the playoffs.

“And those standards, they can’t be just high for the coaches. The whole group needs to see the opportunity and where we can go. And so, look, when the whole thing started two years ago, this is kind of where we were hoping to be going into Year 3. And it’s exciting.”

Denver will begin its three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 9 against the San Francisco 49ers and will kick off the regular season on Sept. 7 against the Tennessee Titans.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.