Dan Lanning shreds pre-draft critics of ex-Oregon and Auburn football QB Bo Nix

Dan Lanning believes that NFL draft critics are as useful as weatherman given their pre-draft takes on ex-Oregon and Auburn football quarterback Bo Nix before he was selected No. 12 overall by the Denver Broncos.

"I kind of think those draft analysts are kind of like weathermen," Lanning said (h/t Denver Gazette). "They don't have to be right... Who cares what they think? It's about the kind of career he's going to have."

Lanning shared his opinion that the Broncos got a steal with Nix in the first round after five other quarterbacks were taken before him.

"The Broncos got a steal there," Lanning prefaced before saying, "That's a great pick for them... He's going to run his routes hard every single rep regardless of whether the ball is thrown to him or away from him. He's going to block. He's got all the traits you want on the football field. He's a great teammate."

Ex-Oregon and Auburn football QB Bo Nix tasked with weight of Broncos' past failures

Nix had pressure on the Plains that may never be matched. As a second generation Auburn star who came to the Tigers as a 5-star recruit, Nix was expected to immediately turn the fortunes of the program around after an up-and-down 2018 season. He did in 2019, upsetting Alabama and leading them to nine wins, but he couldn't keep that momentum going.

Now in the pros, Nix has an even greater challenge. The Broncos have not made the postseason since 2015, when an in-his-twilight Peyton Manning led Denver to a Super Bowl 50 victory that the team's defense led them to.

At this point, the Broncos don't have an elite defense but are spending big money on head coach Sean Payton and across their roster. There's a desperation in Denver that many fans will be looking to Nix to cure.

Fans may not be obsessed with football in the Mile High City like they are in the SEC, but Nix won't be able to escape scrutiny like he did in Eugene.