There has been a lot of buzz over the last few weeks that the Raiders could select Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at some point during the NFL Draft. Apparently, the Raiders are set on adding a quarterback and they believe he could be the best fit in Luke Getsy’s offense.
But the latest rumor is that the Raiders might even consider selecting him at No. 13. That would mean that five quarterbacks would be off the board in the draft’s first 13 selections. Vic Tafur of The Athletic first reported this, but he isn’t the only one signing this song.
In a recent article by Matt Miller of ESPN, he wrote about Penix to the Raiders at No. 13. Here is why he believes that it could happen next Thursday night:
One constant I keep hearing from people I trust is that the Raiders really do like Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and could select him at No. 13 overall. That would qualify as a surprise, despite the fact that Penix is a beautiful thrower from the pocket and has the best overall arm strength in this class.
His medical history — four straight season-ending injuries while at Indiana — and his lack of mobility are concerns enough that he is ranked No. 40 on my board and is generally seen as a Day 2 prospect, but the buzz here is starting to heat up connecting the Raiders to him in Round 1. Las Vegas signed Gardner Minshew, but this team was 26th in QBR last season (40.1) and needs a long-term solution.
If the Raiders believe Penix can be a franchise quarterback, then there is no spot in Round 1 that is too high for him. However, the consensus is that he is more of a second-round pick, rather than a top-16 selection. Still, it is interesting to hear how much the Raiders are interested in the former Pac-12 star.
