NFL Draft 2024 Rumors: Michael Penix Jr. 'Has Been a Star' In Combine Interviews

University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has reportedly already impressed some teams at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week.

According to Peter Schrager of Fox Sports and NFL Network, representatives from multiple teams said Penix "has been a star" during the interview process.

While USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels and North Carolina's Drake Maye are widely viewed as the top three quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL draft and surefire high first-round picks, Penix is part of the next tier that has a chance to come off the board at some point in the first round.

Penix is coming off the best season of his collegiate career, as he finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting after completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the Huskies.

With Penix at the helm, Washington started the season 14-0, winning the Pac-12 title and beating Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Huskies met Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, falling 34-13.

Penix began his college career at Indiana and showed flashes of brilliance, but multiple injuries caused him to miss significant time, including two torn ACLs.

After transferring to Washington for the 2022 campaign, the lefty largely managed to stay healthy. Prior to his huge 2023 season, Penix completed 65.3 percent of his passing attempts for 4,641 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight picks in 2022, earning him the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year Award.

His production at Washington suggests that Penix has what it takes to be successful in the NFL, but there are several factors that could give NFL teams some pause.

Penix will turn 24 shortly after the draft, making him older than most of the other top quarterbacks in the draft class.

Also, Penix has a lengthy history of injuries and he isn't particularly mobile, so there could be concerns about injuries piling up in the NFL if he isn't behind a stout offensive line.

Williams, Daniels and Maye very well may be the top three players off the board in some other, but there is a handful of other quarterbacks who figure to either go later in the first round or on Day 2.

Penix is part of that group along with Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, Oregon's Bo Nix and South Carolina's Spencer Rattler.

Although there are some factors that could make Penix a risky pick, his leadership abilities and other intangibles are undeniable, and it sounds as though they have been on full display in Indy.