With Bowl Season behind us — outside of Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship — the next part of the football calendar is the NFL Draft. Quarterbacks will be in high demand this year with Caleb Williams and Drake Maye considered the top names at the position.
But there’s another name who’s flying up the board after his showing in the Sugar Bowl. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. has been a hot name around college football and NFL circles since Monday’s 430-yard performance against Texas to send the Huskies to the national title game.
The stats were one part of the story, though. According to former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi, Penix’s ability to throw the deep passes with such ease and accuracy — to the tune off 11.7 yards per attempt — will stand out during the evaluation process. In fact, he thinks his former boss would be more than interested in drafting Penix.
“When I watched that game, I immediately went back to that helmet behind me — the Raider helmet — where Al Davis would have just fell in love because his deep ball accuracy was not good, not rare. It was beyond rare,” Lombardi said Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show. “I mean, you couldn’t have walked the ball to the receiver any better than he threw it. And he’s done this. Remember, when he was in Indiana with [Kalen] DeBoer, he was very good.
“And I think Washington has been misvalued in the market because, you know, they win a close game against Utah, They win a close game against Oregon State, then another one against Washington State. Well, he had rib problems. He might have broken ribs. We don’t know. We don’t get an injury report. But this kid is exceptional. He plays a little stiff in his lower body, but it doesn’t translate to the accuracy and the rhythm that he plays with. I mean, it was outstanding. If Al Davis saw him, he could be thinking about Cliff Branch running over routes to this guy.”
This year, Penix averages 9.2 yards per attempt — 11th in the FBS and third in the Pac-12. A big reason for that is Washington’s wide open offense, not to mention high-caliber receivers. Still, NFL scouts will take notice of his arm strength.
When it comes to a deep-ball ability, Lombardi said it’s a big part of NFL offenses. He pointed to a couple high-profile examples, including Patrick Mahomes, whose Kansas City Chiefs have had an up-and-down season on offense. If teams can make those big plays, it adds another dimension to their offense.
That’s why, if Michael Penix Jr. winds up in the right situation, it could take a team to the next level.
“Here’s how important that deep ball is,” Lombardi said. “We talked about the Chiefs, right? It’s hard to believe that Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons has 18 passes completed over 20 yards, and Patrick Mahomes only has 15. Like, think about that for a minute, right? They’re trying to get the ball down the field, they can’t quite do it. It isn’t because Mahomes isn’t accurate. It’s just hard.
“When you have somebody that can make plays on the third level, that can hit that home run. All of a sudden, you’ve got two, three-play drives that are just remarkable. And that’s a value that most NFL teams want. And you’re visualizing watching him play, what offense would you play with him? I mean, I’d make sure I have really explosive receivers down the field because he could make the throws.”
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