Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will likely hear his name called by Commissioner Roger Goodell in April's NFL Draft. He led the Washington Huskies to the national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines. In the end, the Huskies came up short, and the QB didn't have his best game.
With the draft approaching, fans of the Seahawks went after his first-round projection on Reddit:
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More fans gave input on the Huskies QB's performance against the Wolverines in the championship game. They compared Penix to current Seahawks QB Geno Smith:
Penix went 27 of 51 for 255 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the 34-13 loss. It was not his day, but that shouldn't take away anything from his impressive senior season with Washington. He led Division I college football in passing yards (4,903) and third in passing touchdowns (36).
This led the young man to take home the Maxwell Award as college football's player of the year. He would finish second behind LSU star Jayden Daniels in the Heisman voting. He ranks third in school history in yards (9,544) and touchdowns (67).
Is Michael Penix Jr. going to the NFL? How high could Washington QB land?
The young signal-caller has no college eligibility left, meaning his next step will be the NFL. Penix wants to become the first Huskies QB to be drafted since Jacob Eason went to the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round in the 2020 draft. Looking at this year's QB class, the question is where will he land to begin his NFL career.
Looking at Penix's draft stock, he drops out of the first round and gets drafted in Round 2 by the Arizona Cardinals. He was the sixth QB taken per our 2024 NFL Mock Draft Simulator. That would make Penix the highest-drafted QB out of Washington since Jake Locker went No. 8 overall in the 2011 draft.
Should the Cardinals go with Penix, it could likely signal the end of the Kyler Murray era. Plenty can happen between now and April, including the combine. There is a chance the Huskies star could improve his draft stock and get into the first round. We will have to wait and see if that becomes a reality.
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