Nick Saban misses the point in his defense of Broncos taking Bo Nix

When discussing the major reaches of the first round, the Atlanta Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr. dominates the conversation. Sure, he's a fine prospect, but they just gave Kirk Cousins a nine-figure deal in free agency, Selecting him with the No. 8 pick makes no sense.

The Denver Broncos selecting Bo Nix at No. 12 might not be that bad, but it's a reach. Everyone knows it. Well, everyone except former Alamaba Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.

"Guys been through it and came out the other end very successfully out at Oregon," Saban said via ESPN. "And the thing I really like about Bo, and I've known him since his sophomore (year)—him and Kool-Aid McKinstry—played together in high school—is he's the most accurate guy in this draft. And everybody could say, 'Well, 70% of his balls were ten yards from the line of scrimmage.' But in Sean Payton's offense, you've got to get the ball out of your hand. You get it out quick, and you've got to be accurate. And I think he's a good fit."

Nick Saban's defense of Broncos' Bo Nix selection misses the point

Saban likes the fit with Nix in particular in Sean Payton's system. The system fit is undoubtedly why the Broncos felt strongly enough to select Nix with the No. 12 pick. While Saban might be right about that, he misses the point of why this pick is being ridiculed by most.

The issue isn't the Broncos taking Nix, it's the Broncos selecting him with the No. 12 pick. This is a guy who was picked by many to not even go in the first round, and he wound up going in the first half of it. It's safe to assume Denver could've traded back and still selected Nix, the sixth quarterback to come off the board.

The issue here is the reach, not the player. Nix is a fine player for Denver, a team without a future quarterback, to take, but did they really have to make the pick as early as they did? Trading back would allow the team to get him later, commit less money, and get a nice haul of additional draft capital.

Look, if Saban's theory is true and Nix is a great fit in this offense, Broncos fans will forget about the team not trading back to get him. If he winds up being their franchise guy, he's a steal at No. 12. For now, the pick will be judged harshly because of how early they took him, and rightfully so. It's on Nix and Payton to prove everyone except for Saban wrong.