NFL Rumors: Michael Penix Jr. 'Pretty Likely' to Be 1st Round Pick in 2024 Draft

Michael Penix Jr. may have locked himself in as a first-round draft pick.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Washington product is "pretty likely" to come off the board in Round 1, perhaps in the top half of the round.

Penix is meeting with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday after visiting the Denver Broncos earlier this week.

USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, Michigan's J.J. McCarthy and LSU's Jayden Daniels are mortal locks for the first round, perhaps all going inside the top 10. Penix is a distant fifth in the quarterback-laden draft and has seen his stock rise due in large part to position scarcity.

Including Oregon's Bo Nix, as many as six quarterbacks could wind up being taken in Round 1. That would tie the common draft record set in 1983, which is widely considered one of the greatest quarterback classes in NFL history. Hall of Famers John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino were taken in that class, along with longtime New York Jets starter Ken O'Brien. Todd Blackledge and Tony Eason were disappointments, but a 4-of-6 hit rate on long-term starters would be considered a win in most books.

NFL teams will hope this class is closer to 1983 than the most recent quarterback-heavy draft in 2021, which saw five signal-callers taken in the first 15 picks. Three of those quarterbacks (Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones) are no longer with their original teams, and one (Zach Wilson) is on the trade block. Trevor Lawrence, the only quarterback remaining on the team that drafted him, has also had an up-and-down start to his NFL career.

As far as Penix goes, he had an inconsistent college career that included several injuries at Indiana before blossoming after a transfer to Washington in 2022. He turns 24 in May and has concerns regarding his elongated throwing motion, but he impressed with a 4.46-second time in the 40-yard dash at Washington's pro day and spent the last two years throwing dots down the field.

The Broncos hold the No. 12 pick in this month's draft, and the Raiders are one pick behind. Both are in desperate need of a long-term answer at quarterback, which means they may be forced into the top 10 to ensure Penix's availability. Five quarterbacks have never been taken in the top 10 of a draft.