During a brutal close to my seven-game tenure as interim head coach at the University of Colorado in 2022, we faced a list of heavyweight passers in the Pac-12.

Future Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and No. 8 Oregon.

Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and No. 8 USC.

Future Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and No. 15 Washington.

A healthy Cam Rising (with Devaughn Vele!) and No. 14 Utah, the eventual league champion.

It was a generational run of elite teams and future NFL starting quarterbacks.

No wonder I’m in the media now.

I’ve found great joy in studying, analyzing, evaluating, recruiting and developing quarterbacks my entire adult life. It gives me life. It is so incredibly complex.

There are too many reasons why quarterback is the most important position in sports. I’ve been really right and I’ve been really wrong in evaluations and recruitment of the position.

Evaluating quarterbacks is no exact science.

During that four-week span of fighting for the Buffs (and desperately trying to remain employed), I locked myself in my coordinator’s office on the fourth floor of the Champions Center at Folsom Field. I studied each and every one of those four quarterbacks.

After losing by a wide margin to all four, here were my “CliffsNotes” on each QB:

—Nix: Winner, durably built, underrated athlete, elite executor of his system, accurate, quick and compact release, takes what the defense gives him. Finally, little-to-no evidence of making the “wow” throw. More on that later.

—Williams: creative thrower, uncanny field vision, slippery athlete, can throw from any platform or arm slot, makes throws that I had only seen Patrick Mahomes make. Also, played with his food too often. Got complacent taking what was there. Big-play prober. Allergic to the mundanely efficient.

—Penix Jr.: explosive-yet-beautiful left-handing throwing process, evidence of every NFL throw in the catalogue, adversity defier, injury history did not show in his play. Also, a list of injuries, including two ACLs and a shoulder surgery.

—Rising: elite tough guy, scrappy, played with a chip on his shoulder, innate ability to use the right touch, gets ugly yards with his legs and made great decisions with the ball. Also, the now-25-year-old quarterback couldn’t stay healthy.

Back to the man of the hour, Denver’s Nix.

After a career pivot to media, I decided to pay my own way to get a look at these quarterbacks at both major pre-draft events. I sought a deep dive into seeing them on a level playing field.

First stop: Mobile, Ala., for the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Over three days of watching every snap of practice, I finally got to see Nix and Penix Jr. on the same field.

Both had great practice habits with a slight edge to Nix in terms of avoiding the turnover-worthy play. Penix won the day throwing it in open-field and third-down situations by a sound margin. Nix showed his pinpoint accuracy the next day and was my clear winner in the red-zone day. I came away impressed with both but not convinced of a clear winner.

My big question on Nix regarding arm strength was left unanswered.

On to the next event: The Underwear Olympics (NFL scouting combine) in Indianapolis.

USC’s Williams and LSU’s Jayden Daniels opted to not throw. My big three to evaluate: Nix, Penix Jr. and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy.

My combine takeaways: The arm-strength disparity in favor of McCarthy was eye-opening.

There is no way around it: Nix had a subpar day in Indianapolis. The ball didn’t jump out of his hand. The nose of the football was facing down on slant throws, his best throw on tape. He underthrew multiple ‘go’ routes to the combine’s slew of speedsters.

My opinion was confirmed: Nix’s arm talent was his only real deficiency. But it was a significant deficiency.

Fast forward to Week 11, Sunday at Empower Field. Through 10 games of Nix’s rookie season, I had seen more to like than not. Still, the question hovered: does he have that “wow” throw in his quiver? Can he be considered a Super Bowl-contending quarterback?

With Nix leading a 2-minute drill before halftime against the Falcons, I finally saw it.

Before the snap, Nix “kills” the original play-call to get to the prescribed second call. He likes what he sees in the middle of the field. The concept: “Chip 2 Jet Dancer” double go routes on the outside by Troy Franklin and Courtland Sutton and a middle post by Vele.

Nix takes five steps from the ‘gun, sees both linebackers get depth and the boundary safety squeeze the middle post.

Nix bit down on his mouthpiece and ripped his best throw yet: 22 yards past scrimmage, on time, with the confidence and audacity to fit one through a sea of Atlanta defenders.

The result?

A 33-yard Vele strike, in stride, that set up a career-shaping touchdown drive before half in a 38-6 win over the Falcons.

Game on.

Does one throw make Nix the next John Elway, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady?

No way.

Did it convince this coach that Nix has that throw in him?

You bet.

For one glorious day in Broncos Country on one nearly perfect performance for its franchise quarterback, we all saw what he can become.

(Mike Sanford coached at Stanford, Notre Dame, Boise State, Western Kentucky, Minnesota and served as the interim head coach at Colorado in 2022. The Erie resident is a regular on Altitude Sports Radio. His weekly “Coach’s Corner” runs in The Denver Gazette after Broncos games.)