At this level, it’s beginning to develop into extraordinarily clear who we must be anticipating to see as the primary participant and quarterback taken within the first spherical of the 2024 NFL Draft subsequent month. We additionally know UNC quarterback Drake Maye is preventing off LSU Heisman-winner Jayden Daniels as QB2 of the draft and that Michigan nationwide champion J.J. McCarthy and Oregon’s Bo Nix are having fun with their very own late surges towards the primary spherical. One different quarterback appears to polarize greater than the remainder, as Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. continues to work to show himself as a prime soccer participant.
As a three-star recruit out of Tampa Bay Tech HS (FL), Penix struggled to face out within the talent-laden state of Florida. He shortly picked up native affords from Group of 5 colleges like USF and FAU earlier than attending a camp at Tennessee and incomes his first Energy 5 provide. Ten months later, after receiving just a few different affords, Penix dedicated to the Volunteers. After the college’s firing of Butch Jones, the top coach to whom he had dedicated, Penix decommitted, taking the week earlier than an early Nationwide Signing Day to contemplate his choices earlier than in the end signing to attend Indiana.
Penix would redshirt his freshman yr with the Hoosiers, showing in solely three video games earlier than tearing his ACL. After getting back from his damage, Penix entered his redshirt freshman yr because the starter, successful the job over incumbent quarterback Peyton Ramsey. In six begins, Penix would lead the Hoosiers to a 5-1 begin to the season whereas finishing 68.8 p.c of his move makes an attempt for 1,394 yards and 10 touchdowns with 4 interceptions. He additionally added 119 yards on the bottom for 2 touchdowns. Sadly, Penix’s season would finish there after a sternoclavicular joint sprain and clavicle fracture on his non-throwing, proper shoulder would preserve him out for the rest of the season.
Penix would return in 2020 because the starter as soon as once more and as soon as once more lead the crew to a 5-1 begin. His completion proportion suffered because the crew leaned extra closely on his arm, however he would enhance his manufacturing to 1,645 passing yards and 14 touchdowns earlier than struggling a second torn ACL to finish his third season. In his ultimate yr because the Indiana starter, Penix regarded like a shell of his former self. The Hoosiers began the season 2-3 as Penix threw for 939 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions in 5 begins whereas solely finishing 53.7 p.c of his passes. His time in Bloomington ended, as soon as once more, along with his fourth season-ending damage, this one a dislocated joint in his throwing shoulder.
As a substitute of laying down to observe his soccer profession die, Penix opted to hop into the switch portal. Due to his utilized redshirt and the additional yr of eligibility granted to gamers at school throughout the 2020 COVID-19 impacted season, the lefty passer nonetheless had two years of eligibility left, and at last, in Seattle, Penix was provided the chance to play for a contender. Penix turned the starter at Washington and instantly led the Huskies to a successful season following their 4-8 2021 marketing campaign.
At Washington, Penix rediscovered his accuracy, finishing simply over 65 p.c of his passes in each years with the crew. Throughout the crew’s 2022 marketing campaign, Penix led the nation in passing yards per recreation en path to turning into the college’s all-time single-season passing chief with 4,641 yards whereas scoring 31 touchdowns via the air and 4 extra on the bottom. He adopted that up with a 14-1 season that will take Washington to the Nationwide Championship recreation, in the end falling to McCarthy’s Wolverines. Nonetheless, in 2023, Penix broke his personal single-season file with 4,903 passing yards (thanks to 2 further video games) and handed for 36 touchdowns whereas speeding for 3 extra. He led the FBS in passing yards, however even along with his further video games, he additionally led the nation in passing yards per recreation for the second season in a row.
Now, lastly out of eligibility, Penix is able to head to the NFL following a profitable faculty profession. He brings an aggressive strategy to the passing recreation with a capability to ship fast strikes and throw aggressive balls downfield for his receivers to win. He doesn’t lack confidence, displaying a willingness to make each throw at each degree of the sphere however might nonetheless stand to enhance in a few of these areas, particularly intermediate passes throughout the center of the sphere. This could lead to some missed passes and, whereas he did publish spectacular completion percentages, rating twenty eighth within the nation at 65.4 in 2023, his fellow draft candidates, USC’s Caleb Williams (twelfth at 68.6), Daniels (seventh at 72.2), McCarthy (sixth at 72.3) and Nix (first at 77.4), all confirmed higher accuracy this previous yr.
Different nitpicks on Penix revolve round inconsistent mechanics and an incapacity to sense stress (maybe a symptom of left-handedness in a right-hander’s recreation), however the greatest areas of concern encompass his well being. Earlier than transferring, Penix suffered 4 season-ending accidents in as a few years. Many positioned the utmost significance on his medical evaluations on the NFL scouting mix, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Community delivered the excellent news that his medical testing “went properly,” claiming that “any medical questions that Penix had appear to be form of pushed somewhat again beneath the radar.”
With that, let the hypothesis start. The claims of Penix’s polarization come from the truth that mock drafts place him wherever from No. 8 total to the second and third spherical. Each ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Dane Brugler of The Athletic rank Penix because the draft’s sixth-best passing prospect, following the 5 talked about above. Each pundits even have him slipping into the second spherical of the draft, with each citing accidents as a foremost concern. Maybe, they consider that his mix clearance was extra sweeping his damage potential beneath the rug than declaring it a non-issue.
Nonetheless, it solely takes one entrance workplace to disagree. The consensus appears to be that Penix has first-round potential in his recreation, however he has to remain on the sphere in an effort to present it. If any crew sees his 28 straight wholesome video games at Washington and feels assured about his well being, or if any crew feels assured of their offensive line’s potential to maintain Penix on the sphere, there’s completely a risk that we hear his identify known as on Day 1 of the draft, particularly if we see a run on quarterbacks early. If not, there are a number of groups with non permanent or non-cemented choices at quarterback that might simply take a flyer on Penix within the second spherical.
The Bears, Commanders, Patriots and Broncos have been seen as groups clearly seeking to choose a passer within the first spherical, however the Giants, Vikings and Raiders may be tempted. New York has Daniel Jones however may very well be all for drafting his inheritor obvious. The Vikings introduced in
Sam Darnold, who has by no means spent a full season as a starter, so they might be all for a younger passer to mould. Las Vegas introduced in
Gardner Minshew to compete with Aidan O’Connell however could also be all for a passer with extra potential upside. Additionally keep watch over groups just like the Seahawks and Rams, who’ve ageing veterans and will need to usher in a rookie to compete with their different younger, creating backups.
There’s no restrict of prospects for the place we may even see Penix go in late April. He will be the league’s first left-handed quarterback taken within the first spherical since Tua Tagovailoa, or he might free-fall into the second or third spherical. There are a lot extra mock drafts to come back between every now and then across the web, so keep watch over the constant rise and fall of Penix’s draft inventory within the weeks between now and the draft.
