The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1st-round QB could be an option for Falcons
But is team’s interest in ex-Washington standout a ploy for trade offers?
FLOWERY BRANCH — If the Falcons think Michael Penix Jr. can be their quarterback of the future, they should turn his name in with the eighth overall pick in this month’s NFL draft.
The Falcons sent a sizable entourage, including general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris, to Seattle to hold a private workout with Penix Jr., according to TheMMQB.com.
The Falcons signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract worth up to $180 million. Cousins is coming off Achilles surgery and is set to turn 36 before the season. Under this scenario, Penix, 23, would serve at least a couple of years under Cousins before taking over.
However, attending the Penix workout could be a smokescreen for the Falcons. They could be trying to get one of the quarterback-needy teams behind them – Minnesota, Denver or Las Vegas – to trade up to get Penix or Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Penix, who is 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, started his career at Indiana before transferring to Washington. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting last season and eighth in 2022. He passed for 13,741 yards, 96 touchdowns and 34 interceptions over his college career. He completed 63.6% of his passes and had a career passing rating of 146.6.
Here’s a look at the first round of Mock Draft 3.0:
1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers): Caleb Williams, QB, USC. The Bears traded Justin Fields to the Steelers to clear the quarterback meeting room for Williams.
2. Washington Commanders:
Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina. The Commanders have moved on from Sam Howell. He was traded to the Seahawks.
3. New England Patriots:
Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU. The Patriots traded Mac Jones to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State. The Cardinals get a major weapon for quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Desmond Ridder.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington. The Chargers must replace Keenan Allen after trading him to Chicago. Odunze was magical last season for the Huskies.
6. New York Giants: Dallas Turner, OLB, Alabama. He’s considered the best edge rusher in the draft.
7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame. The Titans must fix the offensive line to continue to develop quarterback Will Levis.
8. Falcons: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington. This maybe a little high for Penix, but the Vikings, Broncos and/or the Raiders could turn into trading partners for the Falcons.
9. Chicago Bears: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State. The Bears added Allen and former Georgia standout D’Andre Swift in free agency to go with wide receiver D.J. Moore and tight end Cole Kmet. Fuaga gives them a cornerstone tackle.
10. New York Jets: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia. He has been unable to work out, but his film speaks volumes.
11. Minnesota Vikings: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota. The Vikings need to replace Kirk Cousins, who signed with the Falcons in free agency.
12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon. Since Mock 1.0, the Broncos released Russell Wilson and need a quarterback. If Sean Payton likes Jarrett Stidham, he’ll love Bo Nix.
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU. If the Falcons trade back with the Raiders, look for them to go cornerback with Quinyon Mitchell or Terrion Arnold.
14. New Orleans Saints: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State. Had the Saints going DE in Mock
1.0, but after they gave Chase Young $13 million guaranteed, they can look to fix the offensive line.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Mitchell, CB, Toledo. He has moved ahead of Alabama’s Arnold and Clemson’s Nate Wiggins as the top cornerback in the draft. He lifted 225 pounds 20 times on the bench press, which was tops among the cornerbacks at the combine.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas. New coach Mike Macdonald believes in being stout up the middle first. Murphy is 297 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.87 seconds.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Arnold, CB, Alabama. Plays much faster than he ran at the NFL scouting combine (4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash). He can play inside or outside.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas. Bengals need to keep the weapons stocked after putting the franchise tag on Tee Higgins.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Wiggins, CB, Clemson. The former
Westlake High standout is considered the top cover corner in the draft by some.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia. The Steelers need to fortify their offensive line.
21. Miami Dolphins: Jared Verse, DE, Florida State. The Dolphins have been hit hard by free agency.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois. With the retirement of Fletcher Cox, the Eagles need some power up front.
23. Minnesota Vikings (via Houston from Cleveland Browns): Laiatu Latu, DE, UCLA. The Vikings also must replace defensive end Danielle Hunter, who signed with the Texans in free agency.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon. He can anchor the offensive line for the next decade. They can find a tackle later.
25. Green Bay Packers: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma. The Packers released tackle David Bakhtiari after 11 years of service.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chop Robinson, DE, Penn State. He’s quick off the ball and fits coach Todd Bowles’ defense.
27. Arizona Cardinals (via Houston Texans): Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington. The Cardinals must solidify the line.
28. Buffalo Bills: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU. The Bills parted ways with the temperamental Stefon Diggs in a trade with the Texans.
29. Detroit Lions: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama. The Lions must fix their secondary.
30. Baltimore Ravens: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State. At 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, Coleman would provide a big target for Lamar Jackson.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Darius Robinson, DE, Missouri. The 49ers are looking for defensive line help after not re-signing Chase Young.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas. The Chiefs signed Marquise Brown in free agency but need more receivers, especially in light of Rashee Rice’s legal problems in Texas. He likely is facing a league suspension.