Peyton Manning and several former Denver Broncos teammates were in town on the eve of the 2026 NFL draft for a "Night of Champions" event, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the 2015 Super Bowl season at Paramount Theater.

Before the event, Manning spoke to several members of the media. Bo Nix, of course, was a topic.

Manning said he saw Nix at the Masters, and the third-year quarterback "looked good" coming off a broken ankle that ended his 2025 playoff run. "I think that will push him even harder and make him even hungrier this year," Manning said, via the Denver Post's Parker Gabriel.

"I'm certainly curious who the Broncos are going to draft," Manning said. "I know we don't have a [first-round pick] because of Jaylen Waddle. Which, what a great pickup that was."

The Broncos went 14-3 last season and clinched the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC playoffs. They were knocked out in the AFC Championship game after losing Nix to a broken ankle in the divisional round.

"I think this team has it figured out," Manning said of Denver's 2026 outlook. "Sean [Payton] knows what they need to do."

Manning also said the NFL recruited him to try to convince Fernando Mendoza to attend the NFL draft in person in Pittsburgh. Manning's pitch was unsuccessful as Mendoza (who is widely expected to be picked No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders) opted to watch the draft with his family in Miami.

"The NFL reached out to me, I reached out to Mendoza to maybe encourage him to go to the draft, I know he's staying home with his family, which will be fine," Manning said.

The first round of the 2026 NFL draft will begin at 6 p.m. MT (8 p.m. ET) on Thursday evening. The Broncos aren't scheduled to pick until 62nd overall in the second round on Friday evening (view all of Denver's picks).

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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Peyton Manning gives his take on Broncos QB Bo Nix, Jaylen Waddle