NFL Draft watch: Michael Penix Jr. on the rise, Brock Bowers’ stock takes a hit

Every week during the college football season, Yardbarker will post a brief look at 2024 NFL Draft prospects and how their play over the weekend either helped — or hurt — their draft stock. 

Michael Penix Jr. | QB | Washington | PFF big board: No. 4 QB, No. 23 overall

Penix was already lighting it up before the No. 5-ranked Huskies faced the No. 9-ranked Oregon Ducks, but his performance on Saturday may have solidified him as the third-best QB in the 2024 class behind Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. Penix, who ranks second in the NCAA in passing yards, has thrown for 300 yards or more in every game this season and has three or more touchdown passes in five of six games.

The 23-year-old threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns while engineering a 53-yard scoring drive with under two minutes to play in which he completed both of his passes and hit Rome Odunze for the winning touchdown. Penix is certainly a first-round QB, but it’s not out of the question for him to be a top-10 pick in next year’s draft.

Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia | PFF big board: No. 1 TE, No. 5 overall

It may seem silly to put Bowers on here given how he’s dominated this season. However, he’s slated to miss four to six weeks after having surgery on his ankle, meaning there’s an outside chance he might play in the SEC championship game but likely won’t return to the field until at least the College Football Playoff.

Certainly, his draft stock won’t tank bad enough to fall out of the first round, but not playing in key games down the stretch coupled with having to answer questions of when or if he’s 100% healthy, could drop Bowers from a top-five pick outside the top 10 or 15.

Devontez Walker | WR | North Carolina | PFF big board: not ranked

In just his second game of the year, while dealing with an eligibility waiver issue with the NCAA, Walker made an instant impact against Miami over the weekend. He caught six passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns, and it appears he has instant chemistry with Maye.

His big-play ability coupled with his NFL-ready size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) could help him quickly rise up draft boards in a loaded receiver class. Though he’s not on the same level as Marvin Harrison Jr., Keon Coleman, Malik Nabers or Odunze, Walker could move into that next tier and be a mid-to-late Round 2 or early Round 3 pick by the end of the season.

Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State | PFF big board: No. 3 OT, No. 21 overall

Many scouts have a first-round grade on Fuaga, but there hasn’t been a consensus on where he stands exactly among the top tackles in the 2024 draft class. Those questions may have been answered on Saturday after Fuaga had a strong performance against UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu, who’s considered to be the top pass rusher in the 2024 class.

While Latu did record half a sack, it didn’t come against Fuaga, who allowed just one pressure on 29 pass-blocking snaps. He’s now gone seven straight games without allowing a sack or a QB hit. While he likely won’t unseat Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu as the top tackle in the class, Fuaga could certainly surpass Michigan’s Joe Alt for the No. 2 spot heading into draft week.