Joel Klatt reveals he would take Michael Penix Jr. in top five of 2024 NFL Draft

Michael Penix’s arm devastated the Texas Longhorns secondary Monday night as he led the Washington Huskies to a semifinal win in the College Football Playoffs.

Penix next plays against top-ranked Michigan on Monday night in Houston. But will his performance in these games move him up the NFL Draft boards? Joel Klatt, an analyst for Fox Sports, believes Michael Penix should be amongst the top players for April’s annual NFL Draft.

“Michael Penix is absolutely a guy that I would consider in the top five of the NFL Draft (or) top 10,” Klatt said Tuesday. “Certainly, his medical might be an issue because of those injuries that he’s had previously to his knees. And we’ll see how that comes back. But he does everything well. His game translates incredibly well to the next level. Look at the throws he makes.”

That’s when Klatt made the Penix link to another first-rounder — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The former Alabama star was the fifth pick of the 2020 draft.

“He’s like a stronger, more powerful version of Tua,” Klatt said. “Now, is he as good as Tua? I’m not sure. Maybe. He’s certainly got that potential because he certainly has more power in his delivery as a passer and his accuracy and his ability to have downfield accuracy and downfield timing.

“Again, there’s a bottom line proposition in quarterback play. And I use this a lot in draft prep. Is the ball on target and on time? And with Michael Penix, it is on target and on time. And this is what allows him to be as good of a downfield passer as we’ve seen in college football in a long time.”

A day later and still in awe of Michael Penix

These throws were just ridiculous 🎥 pic.twitter.com/S9d3LkpNVH

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 2, 2024

Michael Penix, pre-playoffs, viewed as 5th-best quarterback

But coming into the playoffs, the draft gurus didn’t view Penix in the same way. Caleb Williams still seems to be the choice for the top pick, which belongs to the Chicago Bears. Noted draft analyst Mel Kiper ranks Williams as his top choice on his ESPN Big Board, with North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3. LSU’s Jayden Williams, this season’s Heisman Trophy winner, comes in at fourth. None of these players participated in their bowl games. Now, the rankings don’t necessarily reflect where the players may go in the draft. Rather, it’s how Kiper views them as prospects.

So what about Michael Penix? Kiper lists him as the fifth-best quarterback available. And he doesn’t project him among the 25 best available players. Rather, Kiper views receiver Rome Odunze as the best Washington draft prospect. Kiper regards Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy as the fourth-best QB on the board.

A year ago, Kiper ranked Penix as the fourth-best quarterback available if the Washington star had declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. He listed him behind Bryce Young, CJ Stroud and Will Levis.

Penix, who finished as runner-up for the Heisman, threw for 430 yards against Texas on Monday night. Here’s another name linked to the Washington star. Try Patrick Mahomes. Penix became the first college quarterback to throw for 4,500 yards or more in consecutive seasons since Mahomes did so in 2015 and 2016 at Texas Tech. The Chiefs selected Mahomes with the 10th pick of the 2017 draft. And he started the evaluation process as a third-round projection.