Insider shares if Michael Penix Jr. could be first-round draft pick

Add ESPN NFL insider Field Yates to the growing list of people who believe that Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. could be selected before the halfway point of the first round of the 2024 draft. 

For a piece published Monday, Yates wrote that the Denver Broncos taking Penix with the 12th overall pick "should not be dismissed." Yates added that the Las Vegas Raiders "with either No. 13 or No. 44 are logical suitors" for Penix. 

Some thought in January that Penix's worrisome injury history coupled with his performance against the Michigan Wolverines in the national championship game could cause him to fall all the way to the third round of the draft. Penix tore his right anterior cruciate ligament twice and suffered injuries to both shoulders during his college career, and he completed 27-of-51 pass attempts for 255 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss to Michigan on Jan. 8. 

However, Penix reportedly impressed clubs at the scouting combine and has received passing medical grades during his meetings with teams. USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels, Michigan's J.J. McCarthy and North Carolina's Drake Maye are expected to be the first four quarterbacks drafted on the night of April 25. It's possible that Penix and not Bo Nix of the Oregon Ducks could become the fifth signal-caller taken.

"The ball explodes off his hand and he can throw masterfully to all three levels," Yates said about Penix. "Penix also used his pro day to show off his mobility and explosion, running the 40-yard dash in under 4.6 seconds and showing off a 36.5-inch vertical jump; he was infrequently asked to use those traits during his time at Washington." 

In a mock draft shared on Monday, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic predicted that the Raiders will wait and grab Penix via pick No. 44. Baumgardner also had quarterbacks being chosen with the first four picks of the player-selection process. Such a run could cause a team to "overdraft" Penix in the first round, in part so that the club could have a fifth-year option attached to his rookie contract.