Michael Penix Jr. addresses worrisome injury history

Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. spoke with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday and addressed his troublesome injury history that understandably could scare teams off. 

"If they are [worried about my injury history], I can't control it at this point,'' Penix said about NFL evaluators, as shared by Jeff Legwold of ESPN. "That was another reason I came back [to Washington] for the 2023 season, was to have another fully healthy season, just show I'm ready to compete and ready to do it at the next level. At this point, I can't control the questions about the injuries.''

Legwold pointed out that Penix tore his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) twice and suffered injuries to both shoulders across four seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers before he transferred to Washington in December 2021. Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk and Legwold noted that Penix didn’t miss a game, practice or offseason workout with the Huskies over the last two campaigns. 

In a mock draft updated on Wednesday, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN predicted that Penix will fall out of the first round of this year's player-selection process. Earlier this week, Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports forecasted that the Pittsburgh Steelers could take Penix at pick No. 20. 

"I'm willing to compete,'' Penix said about participating in at least passing drills during the combine. " ... Nothing against the guys that are not doing it; everybody's got their reasons. For me, I'm going to take that opportunity.''

For a piece published on Feb. 12, current Tampa Bay Buccaneers senior advisor and former head coach Bruce Arians told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times that he loved how Penix was "as accurate on throws up the field as anyone I’ve seen in 15 years" during his best days at Washington. However, certain NFL surfaces have proven to be brutal regarding ACL injuries for players who have never before suffered such setbacks. 

While it seems a given some teams won't even take a flier on Penix, it only takes one interested club to make him a first-round choice on the night of April 25.