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The Las Vegas Raiders need a quarterback but aren’t going to make a draft pick until No. 13 in the 2024 NFL Draft. Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who was last season’s Maxwell Award winner, was flying up draft boards after a big performance against Texas in the college football playoff.
However, his hype quickly cooled down after a less impressive performance in the National Championship game against Michigan. This could be good for a team like the Raiders that is picking lower in the first round and there’s a strong chance that Penix is available at No. 13.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes Penix is the best option for the Raiders in the 2024 draft.
“In all likelihood, the Raiders did too much winning to get Drake Maye, Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels,” Ballentine wrote in a January 10 column. “There are too many quarterback-needy teams that pick ahead of the Raiders and it will be difficult to trade up to get any of the three.
“Targeting Michael Penix Jr. would be a more realistic goal. The Washington quarterback led the Huskies to the National Championship Game in his final year and showcased a ton of growth from his days as the starting quarterback at Indiana.”
If the Raiders don’t want to trade up in the draft, Penix would make sense.
Scout Praises Michael Penix’s Arm Strength
The biggest knock on Michael Penix is that he doesn’t have a ton of mobility. He’s had two torn ACLs in his career and that’s affected his ability to run. However, there may not be a better pure passer in the draft.
Bleacher Report scout Derrik Klassen praised the quarterback’s arm talent.
“Everything with Penix’s game starts and ends with arm strength,” Klassen said. “The ball explodes out of his hand. He can bomb it 60 yards down the field with the flick of the wrist, as well as attack tight windows to the intermediate range. Penix is at his most accurate down the field as well.”
Considering he spent six years in college and is already 23, it’s fair to question if Penix has already reached his ceiling. That said, he’s likely the most NFL-ready of all the prospects. The Raiders went 8-9 in 2023 and likely could’ve been a playoff team with the right quarterback. They are a team that could benefit from adding a young quarterback who is ready to play in Week 1.
Michael Penix Fit Could Depend on Head Coach
It’s difficult to fully gauge whether or not Michael Penix would be a good fit in Las Vegas until they hire a head coach and general manager. If interim head coach Antonio Pierce gets the full-time job, he may be more keen on adding LSU’s Jayden Daniels considering he coached him when they were both at Arizona State.
Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh is also in the running for the Raiders’ head coaching job and could try to reunite with J.J. McCarthy at the NFL level. Penix is a strong prospect and should be on the team’s radar no matter who the head coach ends up being but familiarity with other prospects could be what wins out in Las Vegas. It’s also possible that the Raiders want a more mobile quarterback after years of Derek Carr and Aidan O’Connell as the starters.
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