ENGLEWOOD – Having a No. 64 ranking next to his name is nice for now, but Bo Nix wants to be No. 1.

The Broncos’ second-year quarterback recently got the 64 rating on the NFL’s annual Top 100 list, based on a vote of players. It was a nod to how much respect he earned during an impressive rookie season, but Nix talked Saturday about how he wants to continue to get better and better.

“I’m kind of on both sides with (the NFL ranking),’’ Nix said Saturday after the second practice of training camp at Broncos Park. “I think it’s obviously a cool honor because that’s (what) your peers think, guys you play. At the same time, just the way I think, the way I am motivated, I want to continue to get higher. Not even for the ranking. It doesn’t really matter what you’re ranked, it’s just an internal standard that I have that I want to be the best in the world.”

With that in mind, perhaps it’s no surprise that since entering the NFL he regularly has sought advice from some of the best quarterbacks in the history of the world.

Nix has talked to Broncos Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and during the offseason he went to San Diego for four or five days to meet with Drew Brees, a lock to be named next year to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Broncos coach Sean Payton, who won a Super Bowl with New Orleans in the 2009 season with Brees, revealed Wednesday the visit having taken place and it has been said it was in the range of late April to early May.

“It was fun,’’ Nix said Saturday. “Anytime you can spend some time with a guy like that, with that experience and just that mind and the knowledge of the game. Just his routine and what he was able to do. More than anything, it was just sitting down and talking to him.’’

When it came to throwing mechanics, Nix actually worked more in that area with a former baseball player. During the offseason, he had a session with mechanics expert Tom House, a pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1971-78 who then began to work with both pitchers and quarterbacks.

“We just wanted to tighten a few things up and get even more efficient in whatever we can do,’’ Nix said. “At this point, it’s tough to make big strides, so we want to find all the little things that we can that may make a difference.”

Nix certainly made big strides as a rookie after being the sixth quarterback selected in the 2024 draft and going No. 12 overall. He threw for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns as the Broncos went 10-7, their first winning season since 2016, and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 team won Super Bowl 50.

So, what are the challenges as he seeks to be even better in 2025?

“Honestly, I think that it’ll be the same challenges,’’ Nix said. “It’s still going to be defenses. It’s still going to be coordinators. It’s still going to be wins and losses. It’s still going to be the health of your team. It’s still going to be new installs. Now I just think I’m in a better place to handle those things.

“For me, I think it’s more of the fear of not being ready, not being enough for the team. That’s what continues to drive me and what’s not going to give me an off year. … I don’t think the challenges will change. I think I’m just different. … I don’t want to take it for granted that I am a year ahead (after starting all 17 games as a rookie) because most guys are a lot of years ahead of me. I know I have a long way to go, but I’m excited to go there.”

Nix joked about how as a rookie “you just don’t want to look like an idiot.” He said he knows now he can “go out there and look at lot better than an idiot.”

Nix’s teammates certainly never thought he looked like an idiot as a rookie.

“He’s a great leader and a great guy, and a lot of us guys look toward him,’’ said wide receiver Devaughn Vele, also a rookie last season. “I’m excited for him for year two.”

Speaking of Nix being a leader, he has become, according to some, the face of the franchise. Nix said being considered a team leader comes with the position he plays, and he embraces it.

“I just want to continue to show these guys that I’m willing to work and find every which way we can to find wins and find every which way for me to get better,’’ he said. “I know I have a lot of growth left, a lot to be done, but these guys are going to help me get there. … Being the quarterback of a team like this it’s what you live for. It’s what you practice for, work for your whole time (since) literally when I started lifting and training and getting ready for this football journey back in the sixth, seventh grade.”

Nix was a starting high school quarterback when he was in eighth grade in Alabama. He went on to start the first game of his freshman year at Auburn in 2019, spending three seasons with the Tigers and his final two college years at Oregon. Then he started his first NFL regular-season game last September.

While Nix had an impressive rookie season, his goal is to excel in the playoffs. The Broncos in the wild-card round lost 31-7 at Buffalo last January, with Nix completing 13 of 22 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown.

With the playoffs in mind, Nix didn’t throw a great deal during the offseason. He wants his arm to remain strong in December, January, and perhaps even February.

“I want to peak in the playoffs and closer to the end of the season,’’ he said. “Right now, you’re at a build up and you’re at a slow and steady rise in pace. It’s kind of like a mountain. You want to start early, get at the season and then once you get to the playoffs, championship time, you’re peaking.”

If Nix indeed peaks in the playoffs during his NFL career, that will certainly help him reach his goal of being the best in the world.