Perry and Curran react to Pat’s encounter with Michael Penix Jr. originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots are doing their due diligence as they search for their next franchise quarterback.
With the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Patriots have been linked primarily to top QB prospects Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and JJ McCarthy. ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently reported that with Washington’s brass likely to take Daniels’ No. 2, New England will likely choose between Maye or McCarthy. But what if they aren’t sold on either option?
To cover all their bases, the Patriots are Reportedly Meeting with Washington QB Michael Penix, who is widely considered one of the second-tier QB options in this year’s draft. Our Phil Perry and Tom E. Curran shared their instant reactions to this news during Monday’s show Early Edition.
“Really interesting, because he’s not in that class in terms of being a high-end first-round pick. That’s not how he’s considered by the league,” Perry said. “And so now they’re broadening their search, and I wonder if they’re broadening it because there might be some of that same disagreement, lack of consensus, that Tom and I had at the top of the show about JJ McCarthy. And if they think, the best thing for us, if we can’t pick one guy out of three overall, if we end up trading back, now we’re open to the second tier of quarterbacks, whether it’s Michael Penix or Bo. Nix, or maybe even further down the line, Spencer Rattler, people like that.”
While Penix presents a lot of risk and a first-round selection could be a reach, Perry recognizes its big upside.
“He comes with a variety of concerns,” Perry said of Penix. “He’s off the charts in terms of intangibles. Tough, he’s been through a lot personally, he’s dealt with two season-ending knee injuries, two season-ending shoulder surgeries. high-level football the last two years, but there’s a lot of things that make him a second-round prospect as opposed to a big first-round prospect like some of these other guys.”
Curran believes Penix’s toughness makes him an intriguing option for Patriots coach Jerod Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf. He could be among the best QBs available to New England if it chooses to trade the third overall pick for a number of assets.
“When Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf discussed all the quarterback prospects, they talked about toughness and having physical and mental toughness when they get here is absolutely imperative,” Curran said. “So, Penix, to me, if you end up trading up and getting Michael Penix and having point guard to fill wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback, edge, all of those spots or most of them, that’s awesome.
“In many ways, the Patriots should do no wrong in this draft. They could screw it up after the player gets here, but the player they draft will be worthy of being an NFL starting quarterback.”
Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 25th.
You can hear everything Perry and Curran had to say about Penix Jr. in the video player above.
