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The hype for Michael Penix Jr. coming off the board in the top half of the first round of the 2024 NFL draft continues to grow.
Per ESPN’s Matt Millerone common refrain from people around the NFL is the Las Vegas Raiders “really do like” Penix and could end up selecting him with the 13th overall pick.
Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has not been shy about his desire for the team to add a quarterback. He spoke about the qualities he wants in a signal-caller during the NFL scouting combine.
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Antonio Pierce on what he is looking for in a QB: pic.twitter.com/PBYH0i3BjO
Pierce has also said Aidan O’Connell, who started 10 games as a rookie last season, has earned the right to compete for the starting job.
There could be something of a divide between what Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco want to do at the quarterback spot.
Tony Pauline of SportsKeeda reported on Thursday that Pierce would like to trade up for a quarterback, while Telesco is “leaning heavily toward” sticking with O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II in 2024.
One reason for that divide is because of how polarizing a player like Penix seems to be. One AFC assistant coach told NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero that the Washington star is the second-best quarterback in the class based on his college tape.
Pelissero noted a scout ranked Penix as the No. 7 quarterback in this draft, with multiple coaches putting Spencer Rattler ahead of him.
“I actually like Rattler more than I do Penix,” one NFC coordinator told Pelissero. “I keep seeing everything where [Penix is] climbing, he’s climbing. He could go to the Raiders at 13? I just didn’t buy it. It was so clean for him.”
According to Pelissero, one veteran coach compared Penix’s skill set to Brett Hundley.
Penix is an older prospect who will turn 24 on May 8, though he’s actually two months younger than fellow polarizing prospect Bo Nix. His injury history is a concern, though it’s worth pointing out he started all 28 games in his two seasons at Washington.
Ultimately, if the Raiders view Penix as a high-level prospect, they will probably take him when their pick comes up in the first round. Quarterback is such an important position to the success of a team that players get overdrafted all the time.
It’s not fair to say Penix would be an overdraft before he’s ever played a game in the NFL, but the variety of opinions about his talent and upside indicate he could go anywhere from the top half of the first round to possibly being a second-round pick.
If the Raiders want to take the chance of waiting to see if they could get Penix later, they own the No. 44 overall pick in the second round.
2024-04-19 13:07:30
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