New England Patriots must draft overlooked Heisman finalist
On Monday night, the football world was again reminded of the brilliance of Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The Heisman runner-up exploded for 430 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-31 win over Texas in the College Football Playoff Semi-Final.
With his recent performance and body of work over the last two seasons, Penix has proven to be the guy the New England Patriots must draft in 2024.
"I think he upgrades 13 NFL teams next week... The fact that it wasn't even a debate at the end for the Heisman just shows that people don't watch Washington football."
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 2, 2024
— @joelklatt makes the case for Michael Penix Jr. pic.twitter.com/HBvX8hx2kq
To set up why Penix is the answer for the Patriots, you have to look at Mac Jones and his flaws. Some of Jones's biggest weaknesses were his decision-making, downfield throwing, and overall arm strength. As a result of Jones's limitations, the Patriots were not able to run a high-powered offense.
Penix is the complete opposite of Jones, as he has a cannon for an arm with a quick release, throws a beautiful downfield ball, and is extremely accurate in tight windows. Over the last two seasons, Penix has thrown for over 4,500 yards and over 30 touchdowns. He has also completed over 65% of his passes in both seasons, highlighting his accuracy.
Penix has been dealing all year. Best deep ball thrower in the class, live arm on drive throws, quick decisions, makes rushers miss in the pocket, and plays well on big stages.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) January 2, 2024
The only thing keeping him from the top-half of the first round is the medicals.
Another key factor with Penix that makes him the guy for the Patriots is that he’s great at dealing with adversity and a proven winner.
Penix has dealt with four consecutive major season-ending injuries in his career, and he has battled back to become a legit NFL prospect. I want a guy who has toughness and does not back down from a challenge, and Penix would provide that.
He also has helped Washington have a perfect 14-0 season for the first time in school history, and he has them playing for a National Championship next Monday.
Although Penix has an injury history that is concerning, the Patriots should draft him in the top five. I think Penix is the most NFL-ready quarterback in the draft this year, but he also is supremely talented. I think Penix is the second-best quarterback in this draft behind Caleb Williams, so it should be a no-brainer for the Patriots to draft him.
"I don't know if I've ever seen a college player throw the ball better in a game than what I saw last night from Michael Penix..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 2, 2024
It was just perfect throw after perfect throw and some of those touchdown passes were absolute piss missiles" ~ @danorlovsky7#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/owye2xkoOS
Overall, it will be interesting to see how high Penix raises on draft boards following his performance in the National Championship game.
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