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Michael Penix Jr.’s Washington fell to Michigan in the national championship game on Monday night. The Wolverines succeeded Georgia as the champions of college football in a game where they were able to make the Huskies’ red-hot offense almost toothless.
Many have presumed a potential fall in his draft stock following last night's performance. However, Colin Cowherd believes the national title game will have no impact on Penix’s transition to the NFL and that he will be a brilliant quarterback in the league with the right spot:
“Michael Penix will be fine. Last night didn't drop him to the 4th round. What he is, is what Goff, Tua and Matt Ryan are — a beautiful thrower of the football. Where he lands, his coordinator, protection and receivers will overwhelmingly dictate his professional success.”
Michael Penix Jr.’s struggle in the national championship game
Not many would have anticipated the type of game Michael Penix Jr. had against Michigan in the national championship game on Monday. The former Indiana quarterback struggled significantly during the game, finding it hard to connect with his receivers.
Penix is famed for his elite precision in throwing the ball. However, this eluded him throughout the game at the NRG Stadium in Houston. The signal-caller missed several downfield passes, and Michigan's defense disrupted the chemistry between him and his targets.
With Penix hardly finding Rome Odunze and Jaylin McMillan with his deep passes on Monday night, the quarterback feels his struggles in the deep ball were due to the execution:
“I just feel like it came down to executing. I missed a couple of throws. Just a couple of reads on routes and stuff like that. Just small details within our system that we do great all the time.”
Michael Penix Jr.’s draft projection
Michael Penix Jr. is undoubtedly one of the top quarterbacks entering the 2024 NFL Draft. He has shown class in the last two seasons at Washington, leading the Huskies offense to significant success under the leadership of Kalen DeBoer.
Penix has thrown 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He notably achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first college quarterback to throw for 4,500 yards in back-to-back seasons since Patrick Mahomes accomplished this in 2015 and 2016.
While Penix possesses the attributes of a pro quarterback, his draft situation remains unclear, considering his injury history. He suffered four season-ending injuries at Indiana, including two in the knees and two in the shoulders. This could have a significant impact on his draft stock.
