6. Michael Penix Jr., NFL Draft
One of the more polarizing prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class is Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.
I still remember watching Penix as the quarterback of the Indiana Hoosiers a few years back, wondering how in the world the guy got a scholarship to play D1 football. Fast forward a handful of years later, and Penix is a potential first-round draft pick after he transferred to Washington and became an absolute star.
Penix had the Huskies and their stellar group of receivers in the National Championship Game this past season, but his body of work has been phenomenal even besides just the 2023 season. In two seasons at Washington, he threw for over 9,500 yards and 67 touchdowns.
Penix has done a good job throwing with accuracy, anticipation, under duress, and perhaps most importantly, he has done a great job of going through progressions and spreading the ball all over the field.
The biggest question marks with Penix include his injury history with multiple shoulder injuries, multiple major knee injuries, and a variety of other dings along the way. Will that push his stock out of the first round? Are the Broncos going to take the risk on an older prospect in round one with an extensive injury history? The pre-draft medical evaluations on Penix will be huge.
Ultimately, he seems like the type of person an NFL team could fall in love with as a potential franchise QB.