Three teams that would great destinations for Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
Over the last two seasons in the Washington football program, Michael Penix Jr. has been nothing short of spectacular. He played in 28 games, threw for 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns, and made the national championship game this past season.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote that Penix “was probably the winner among the quarterbacks” at the combine, based on word from “evaluators that were inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday.”
The young Florida native has been amazing in the draft process, and maybe he is not a top 3 quarterback, but he is a top 5 quarterback and there are many teams that could use a quarterback at this point in the NFL Draft, but I want to discuss three teams I feel would be a great destination for Penix Jr.
Seattle Seahawks
Why not keep the Washington QB in the State. Ryan Grubb is employed by the Seahawks and has a great relationship with Penix Jr. The Seahawks have Geno Smith playing lights out, but giving Penix Jr. some time to grow behind Smith could be a huge win for Seattle.
Grubb and Penix had a partnership that took Washington to the top, and they could enjoy that same chemistry down the street with the Seahawks. Everyone knows Geno Smith is not the long-term answer, and if Penix does have to sit behind a starter, it would only be one year behind Smith.
New England Patriots
Penix Jr. is a pure thrower, and he looked amazing at the Combine. Eliot Wolf is a smart man, and he will need to get a quarterback if he wants to compete in the AFC East. If the Patriots are confident in his medical, he will be drafted and should be a day 2 guy.
Penix Jr. has had two shoulder and two knee surgeries, but throws deep passes with modest effort, with clean, tight spirals. He is super effective on intermediate passes and had 10 1/2-inch hands which NFL teams love. I could see the Patriots taking a shot on him on Day 2.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings would likely use a second-round pick on Penix Jr. but let me explain why I feel Penix Jr. would shine in Minnesota. The Vikings do not have the assets to trade up to get a top three quarterback, but they can trade up int he 2nd or take a solid player later in the draft.
Penix Jr. would be amazing and with Justin Jefferson talking a contract extension you better find someone that can get him the ball. Penix Jr. becomes the best option for the Vikings. I feel he is better than McCarthy.
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com