Adam Schefter Delivers Ridiculous Report About Sean Payton, Patrick Mahomes & Bo Nix

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The NFL Draft is a time for "insiders" to shine and deliver reports that help fans understand what's happening. But, the report that Adam Schefter delivered – which involved Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and quarterbacks Bo Nix and Patrick Mahomes – had me scratching my head. 

Many people thought the Broncos might try to trade up in the first round and to land a franchise quarterback. They elected to keep their initial selection, at #12 overall, but still decided to take the sixth quarterback in the first round. Denver picked Oregon QB Bo Nix. 

With Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix and J.J. McCarthy off the board, Denver didn't stray from its plan to get a quarterback. That makes sense, since the best quarterback on the roster prior to Thursday was Zach Wilson. 

Personally, I don't get the hype about Nix. He started for five years in college and never really did anything special. He's already 24 years old. He had his best season this year, but he remains mostly a dink-and-dunk QB that lacks elite traits. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter gave a report that involved Sean Payton, Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix (pictured) and it's as ridiculous as it sounds.

ESPN's Adam Schefter gave a report that involved Sean Payton, Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix (pictured) and it's as ridiculous as it sounds.

(Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

Still, apparently, Sean Payton loves Nix. According to Schefter, he loves Nix as much as he (allegedly) loved Patrick Mahomes in 2017. 

There's so much to unpack here. First, there's the revisionist history that Payton LOVED Mahomes, but apparently not enough to trade up one spot to make sure he got him. It's awfully convenient that Payton suddenly wants everyone to know, seven years later, that he was going to pick Mahomes for the New Orleans Saints in 2017. 

See, the media loves Sean Payton. He seems like a really nice guy, and he plays ball with the media. Fantastic. That's why he's so overrated. That's also how he can say things like that and the media just treats it as the truth. Maybe it is. I'm not buying it. 

Then, there's the part that he's just as excited about Bo Nix. If Payton thinks that Bo Nix is anywhere near as good as Patrick Mahomes, he needs to retire from football. That's insane talk. 

Schefter then sent two follow-up tweets, really talking up the Broncos pick of Nix. 

That's far more information than Schefter has given on any other team or player so far in Thursday's first round. Also, he's busy right now. How did he have time to write these tweets? 

He (almost certainly) knew Denver was going to take Nix and had already prepared for that. How did he know? Probably from Sean Payton. That's my speculation, at least. Why do I say that? Payton gives media access that most coaches don't. In exchange, he wants them to cover him in a positive light. 

Mission accomplished, Sean. Good luck getting everyone to cover you positively when Nix doesn't work out. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.