Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. is one of the more intriguing quarterback prospects in this class. He’s not likely to go in the top 10, and at this point doesn’t even seem like a lock for the first round. Yet Penix possesses the one quality that can turn a good quarterback into a great quarterback: arm talent.
Penix was named a first-team All-American this past season after leading the Huskies to the College Football Playoff National Championship game. While Washington fell against Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines, Penix had a great 2023 campaign. He led the FBS in passing yards with 4,903, and led the FBS in completions (60) and passing touchdowns (26) of 25+ air yards over the last two seasons.
The former Indiana Hoosier was named one of the AP Comeback Player of the Year winners in 2022 after throwing for 4,641 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. One knock against Penix as a prospect is his injury history, as he tore his right ACL twice, and suffered a couple of shoulder injuries. On paper, that’s scary, but Penix clearly bounced back. He even became the first college quarterback to throw for 4,500 yards in back-to-back seasons since Patrick Mahomes did so at Texas Tech.
So, where will Penix land in the 2024 NFL Draft? Where would he be a good fit? Let’s take a look at the five best potential landing spots for Penix. These are his top-five landing spots based on team fit and likelihood of the team actually having the ability to draft him.
5. Los Angeles Rams (19th overall pick and 52nd overall pick)
The Los Angeles Rams nailed the reset following their Super Bowl LVI championship. They have rebuilt their offensive line with shrewd free agency signings (Kevin Dotson and Jonah Jackson) and through the draft (2023 second-rounder Steve Avila), and they found their long-term replacement for Cooper Kupp in the fifth round of last year’s draft in Puka Nacua, who set the NFL rookie records for catches (105) and receiving yards (1,486).
Quarterback Matthew Stafford bounced back nicely from a neck injury that caused him to miss eight games in 2022, and he earned the second Pro Bowl nod of his career in 2023 while Los Angeles returned to the postseason. However, Stafford is 36 and has an injury history. Head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead would be wise to prepare for the future and draft someone they could develop to be his long-term replacement.
One of McVay’s former assistants, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, achieved great success by doing that with his quarterback position by selecting Jordan Love in the first round despite the Packers having other positional needs at the time. If the Rams believe in Penix, he will likely be available to them at pick 19.
Should the Rams be cool with waiting on him and addressing perhaps their defensive line since future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald retired? They do own their second-round pick as well. However, waiting until pick 52 runs the risk of him no longer being on the board. Los Angeles may have to trade up in Round 2 to avoid missing out on him on Day 2.
4. Washington Commanders (2nd overall pick and 36th overall pick)
The Commanders are likely to select their new quarterback at No. 2 overall, and Washington should be somewhat of an attractive landing spot for a young quarterback. Not only will this new player likely start right away, but new ownership is getting this franchise back on the right track, and the Commanders have an entirely new coaching staff. That includes Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator.
Parades weren’t thrown when Kingsbury, the former Arizona Cardinals head coach, was named the new OC, but maybe the fan base should be optimistic. It looked like he had the Cards in a good spot before things fell apart in 2022. He even had a top-10 offense in two of his first three seasons. Kingsbury has also worked with several notable young quarterbacks, such as Kyler Murray, Caleb Williams, Mahomes and Johnny Manziel. It didn’t work out in Arizona, but maybe Kingsbury could be a good NFL offensive coordinator — and be beneficial for a young quarterback.
The only way Washington would be in play for Penix is if it traded out of the second overall pick. If that’s the case, it could potentially select him later in Round 1 or within the first five picks of Round 2.
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on “With the First Pick” — our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen below!
The Vikings are squarely in the market for a new quarterback. Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, and Minnesota has set itself up to potentially trade up for a new quarterback by acquiring an additional first-round pick thanks to a trade with the Houston Texans.
The Vikings parted with two second-round selections (one in 2024 and one in 2025) and a 2024 sixth-round pick to acquire the 23rd overall choice for the upcoming draft. While their initial plan may be to trade up into the top five to select a quarterback, if the Vikings don’t like the terms for any deal to trade up, there’s a chance they could stay put and end up with Penix at pick 23.
Whatever quarterback the Vikings end up with will immediately have the best supporting cast of any 2024 rookie: 2022 Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson, Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones, two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson and 2023 first-round wide receiver Jordan Addison.
“It was great,” Penix said at the NFL Scouting Combine when asked about his meeting with the Vikings. “I feel like that’s a good organization over there. They show a lot of good things, got a lot of good players as well. I felt very confident in that meeting.”
It would personally be fun to see Penix’s ball flying 70 yards through the thin air that exists in the Mile High City, and to see him work with Sean Payton. Payton never looked comfortable running his offense through Russell Wilson, which is why the Broncos cut him even with the consequence of having to eat $85 million in dead cap money across the next two seasons combined.
Yes, Denver has to play Patrick Mahomes twice a year, but are the Broncos a quarterback away from the playoffs? Depends how great that quarterback is. No one expected the Texans to be a playoff team in Year 1 with C.J. Stroud, and yet they won the AFC South. Denver has some weapons on offense (wide receivers Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Josh Reynolds, Tim Patrick and running back Javonte Williams. Meanwhile, Vance Joseph facilitated what was really a miraculous turnaround on defense.
If Denver is unable to trade up into the top five, it could potentially trade back a few spots in the first round and then select Penix if it thinks pick 12 is a touch too high. He clearly has interest in playing for Payton.
“Oh man, it was an interesting meeting,” Penix said at the NFL Scouting Combine about his meeting with the Broncos. “It was different than the others. I felt good. … Playing for Coach Sean Payton, that would be special. He is a great coach, one of the best in the game. To be able to learn from him would special. … They were tough. They pulled up a lot of [my] bad plays. It’s good because at the next level it’s hard. It’s hard to win. I understand that. In ways, they were probably trying to see how I reacted to those bad plays. If I could take accountability and stuff like that, I’m always going to do that. I’m always going to put others before me. I’m going to be honest about everything.”
Becoming the next face-of-the-franchise quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders comes with the prize of being able to throw to one of the best wide receivers in the league in three-time first-team All-Pro Davante Adams. Sure, they have Gardner Minshew and 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell, but neither has inspired the confidence that they can be more than bench fill-ins.
Penix will certainly be available at pick 13, and if Las Vegas strikes out on trading up for LSU’s Jayden Daniels, who has a preexisting connection with head coach Antonio Pierce from their days at Arizona State together, Penix could be Las Vegas’ consolation prize. Like the Broncos, the Raiders could probably trade back a few spots and still end up with the 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up.
“A lot of guys speak highly about Coach A.P [Antonio Pierce] and the things he’s able to do,” Penix said at the NFL Scouting Combine of his meeting with the Raiders. “I was able to see him and meet him, pretty cool guy.”
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Author: Garrett Podell
March 28, 2024 | 7:30 am
