The Washington quarterback is “pretty likely” to be a first-round pick and “likely” to be selected with one of the first 16 picks in the draft, NFL Media reported Thursday.
Penix Jr. might have helped his draft status at Washington’s Pro Day last week, reportedly running a sub 4.6 40-yard dash and impressing scouts in other athletic testing drills.
The momentum for the signal caller to be a first-round pick has seemed to carry into this week, as a few quarterback-needy teams are showing interest in him.
As expected, several quarterback-needy teams are among the favorites to draft Penix Jr. Still, most of the favorites aren’t teams picking in the top five, as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy are expected to be selected in that range.
So, that could leave the Raiders, Vikings, Seahawks and Broncos in a spot to draft him if they’re unable to trade up to nab a top pick.
Las Vegas, the current favorite, started Aidan O’Connell for the second half of last season but signed Gardner Minshew in free agency. Minnesota needs a quarterback after losing Kirk Cousins, with many speculating that it’ll trade up into the top five. Seattle still has Geno Smith and traded for Sam Howell, but neither might be a long-term option. Denver is also searching for a quarterback after releasing Russell Wilson, though it’s a heavy favorite to draft another top quarterback prospect instead.
