NFL Draft 2024 Rumors: Michael Penix Jr. Visiting Raiders After Broncos Meeting

The two AFC West teams looking for a new starting quarterback could have their sights set on Michael Penix Jr. in the 2024 NFL draft.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Las Vegas Raiders are hosting Penix for a top-30 visit on Wednesday after he met with the Denver Broncos on Tuesday.

Penix seems to be a very polarizing prospect, at least in terms of being a potential first-round pick.

B/R's NFL scouting department has Penix ranked as the 84th-best prospect overall in the 2024 class.

Derrik Klassen's scouting report for the 23-year-old compares him to a "discount Carson Palmer" style of quarterback:

"Michael Penix Jr. is a stationary pocket passer with a live arm and a penchant for pushing the ball down the field.

"Everything with Penix's game starts and ends with arm strength. The ball explodes out of his hand. He can bomb it 60 yards down the field with the flick of the wrist, as well as attack tight windows to the intermediate range. Penix is at his most accurate down the field as well."

Even with some limitations to his game, Penix has shown the ability to dazzle in big moments. His best tape was in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Texas when he threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-31 win.

The Raiders and Broncos are two teams seeking a potential long-term answer at quarterback. They are part of a three-team cluster in the draft, along with the Minnesota Vikings, when it wouldn't be a surprise to see at least one of them try to make a trade up.

Those three teams pick consecutively starting with the Vikings at No. 11, followed by the Broncos at No. 12 and Raiders at No. 13. Minnesota has already positioned itself to trade up by acquiring a second first-round pick (No. 23 overall) from the Houston Texans.

If none of those teams find a deal that would allow them to move up, they could potentially stay put and end up with a quarterback not in the top tier. They could try to wait until the second round, or even trade down to accrue more picks and use a later first-round selection for someone like Penix.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has expressed confidence in Aidan O'Connell as the starter in 2024 if he is their best option. They do seem like a team that will try to add another player at the position at some point in the draft.

It wouldn't be a surprise if that player ends up being Penix if they value him highly. He threw for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns and completed 65.4 percent of his attempts in 15 games for the Huskies last season.