AFC Notes: Brock Bowers, Travis Kelce, Bo Nix, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Mike Sando of The Athletic cites an anonymous NFL executive who is confident first-round QB Bo Nix will be great in HC Sean Payton‘s system.

“I’m betting on it (succeeding) heavily,” an executive said. “Bo has experience, he has enough arm talent and I think he is going to do what he is coached to do. Sean Payton’s system is optimal for him. Bo is not going to go off-script as much as Russ was going to do. Look, I don’t want him to be successful, but I think he is going to be legit there.”

Another executive reiterated Nix will do well under Payton, who has a proven ability in grooming quarterbacks. 

“I’m not a Bo Nix fan, but if anybody can get something out of him, Sean could,” an executive said. “He’ll program that kid to do exactly what he wants every week. It won’t be enough the first year, but Sean will buy a third year to develop the kid and see if he can get him through.”

Chiefs

Chiefs GM Brett Veach said TE Travis Kelce is an outlier at the position and called him a unicorn for being able to play at a high level this late into his 30s.

“Well, I mean, now and then, you have one of these guys that are better outliers,” Veach said, via Chiefs Wire. “Certainly, Travis is one of those players. It’s funny; it’s not even me yet. Today, we had a chance to get out there and phase two. And guys were out there running around. And Travis was the first guy in line, and I mean, he looked like he was 28 years old. I mean, the odds of someone playing this far into the 30s are very low, but it does happen and happens with just unicorns in the profession. Travis is one of those, and we’ll certainly celebrate this with him, and hopefully, we can ride this thing even longer. We’ll have to wait and see, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down, and everyone you know notices the kind of postseason he had. He just found that extra gear and the special ones. The special players are always able to find that extra gear, and again, if anybody can do it, Travis can.”

Raiders

At pick No. 13 overall, the Raiders took TE Brock Bowers after taking TE Michael Mayer in the second round last year and signing TE Harrison Bryant in free agency. Despite the apparent logjam at tight end, Las Vegas GM Tom Telesco implied they won’t have an issue getting Bowers involved.

“We’re looking to add more playmakers to the offense, and they come in all shapes and sizes, in all different positions,” Telesco said, via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “And we love Michael Mayer — I love Michael Mayer — and he’s a really good player. He’s going to take another big jump this year. But you get a chance to add just another dimension to the offense, whether it’s a tight end, hybrid receiver, whatever it is, you need more playmakers on that side of the ball.”

“So, I think [Bowers is] really going to help us there, and I feel like he was a high-level player in college. A true junior, he’s 21 years old, so he’s very young still, still developing. But he has some natural football skills, combined with some high-level athletic ability and speed.”