Getty The Seahawks could look to draft Geno Smith's successor in Michael Penix Jr.
The Seattle Seahawks could consider a major trade during the 2024 NFL draft to land their “potential franchise” quarterback.
As Tim Weaver of Seahawks Wire writes in his “2024 NFL mock draft,” Weaver proposes a trade in which Seattle lands the hometown Michael Penix Jr. from the University of Washington with the 39th overall pick after sending the New York Giants their first-round pick (No. 16). Seattle would also land pick No. 47 and a 2025 second-round draft pick.
“In our latest mock draft, we set out to trade down in the first round to get that second-round pick back and target a new potential franchise quarterback in Round 2,” writes Weaver. “In an ironic twist, we wound up doing another deal with the Giants, sending them pick No. 16 overall in exchange for pick Nos. 39, 47 and a 2025 second-round selection.”
Why the Seahawks Would Trade Down to Select Michael Penix Jr.
The Seahawks currently hold the No. 16 overall pick, which means they’re out of the running for the top tier quarterbacks such as Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. While Seattle did hold Combine meetings with both Maye and Daniels, it would take a blockbuster trade offer for them to move up to one of the top two or three draft picks to select either of those quarterbacks. That’s just not likely to happen.
If the Seahawks stand pat at No. 16, a more reasonable selection would be Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. However, if Seattle is set on Penix, No. 16 seems a bit high for the Maxwell Award winner. In fact, CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards projects Penix to be selected with the No. 44 overall pick.
However, there’s a lot of time between now and the draft in late April, with quarterbacks taking part in their college pro days before then. As Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports notes, Penix could solidify himself as a first-round pick before then.
“Among the seven evaluators, three believed Penix or Nix, or both, could also establish themselves as first-round picks in the next seven weeks,” writes Robinson.
While reports indicate the Seahawks will bring Geno Smith back for the 2024 season, it’s clear that with a new head coach (Mike MacDonald), they’re likely looking for their future franchise quarterback.
Michael Penix Had Impressive NFL Combine Showing
It’s indisputable that Penix was a highly prolific quarterback in college. Not only did he lead the Washington Huskies to a national championship game after going undefeated in the regular season, he posted 39 total touchdowns (36 passing, three rushing) while also leading the NCAA in passing yards (4,903).
Penix is obviously quite the enigma. Some have him pegged has a late first-round pick and others have him slotted as going after the first round.
However, he clearly impressed during the NFL Combine, with some believing he had the best showing of any quarterback. It’s worth noting that fellow second-tier quarterbacks such as McCarthy and Bo Nix also threw on the same day as Penix.
“Penix, meanwhile, had arguably the best throwing session at the combine,” writes Robinson. “He threw deep passes with modest effort, with clean, tight spirals. He also was effective on intermediate passes, with solid timing despite working with unfamiliar receivers. And while his medical is what it is — two shoulder and two knee surgeries — there was no indication this past week that teams were alarmed with the health of those repairs.”
Selecting Penix with a second-round draft pick would solidify the first-team All-American as the Seahawks’ future franchise quarterback.