On draft day in April, a former wide receiver for the New York Jets believes the team will cause a stir.
“Joe D gonna shock the world when he picks [Michael Penix Jr] at [pick] 10,” Rob Carpenter prophesied on social media.
The six-year NFL wide receiver was replying to a post stating that, “after his impressive Pro Day,” the quarterback from Washington should definitely hear his name called in the first round.
Jets Could Create a QB Pipeline Behind Aaron Rodgers
Joe Douglas, the general manager of the Jets, appears to have left the door ajar for his team to choose a quarterback with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round.
“A lot of intriguing options at that position [QB] will be presented by the draft as well. We are investigating that. At the Annual League Meeting, Douglas disclosed, “We’ve got our coaches and scouts out on the road working out a bunch of different positions.”
The Jets have flexibility going into the draft because of all the moves they have made in free agency and through trades. Due to this, there has been a lot of conjecture on social media over Gang Green’s early entry into the quarterback position.
But ESPN’s Rich Cimini claimed that Douglas’ remarks were blatantly biased toward a “smoky” quotient.
“Assuming Zach Wilson is gone, the Jets need a young quarterback in their pipeline, but it seems improbable that they will choose one that high. Though the future is crucial, they also need a player who can contribute right away and extend quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ window of opportunity. December is his 41st birthday, according to Cimini.
Rather, Cimini thinks the Jets would prefer to trade the pick to a “team in need of a quarterback, enabling them to obtain a top-100 pick.”
On “The Rich Eisen Show,” Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said to Rich Eisen, “No. 1 the medical is very important [for Penix], and I think we all know that.” He will have varying medical grades on different teams. I spoke with someone who stated, “You can work with the medical grade, even though it’s not great.”
Penix’s injury history, which dates back to his time at Indiana, is quite concerning. According to Lance Zierlein, he has sustained “multiple season-ending injuries” and twice tore his right ACL.
Penix deserves praise for overcoming his injury concerns during his last Washington season. He participated in all 15 games and achieved some incredible stats.
With 4,903 throwing yards and a completion percentage of 65.4%, Penix finished with a touchdown to interception ratio of 36 to 11.
Apart from the injury concern, Penix will turn 24 before the 2024 season begins at the age of 23.
Breer contended that with someone that age, there “might be a little less growth potential.” Put otherwise, he is who he is. Conversely, younger players might change into a different type of character.
Breer told Eisen, “I’m just not sure the NFL en masse has been as high on Michael Penix as people on the outside have been.”
That’s exactly what NFL analyst Benjamin Allbright has been saying for months on social media. According to “people I talk to,” the league is “lower” on Penix “than media/fans.” Additionally, he classified Penix as a “day 2/3” player—that is, a guy who plays after the opening round.
According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, head coach Robert Saleh stated during the Annual League Meeting that the Jets will “obviously” add another quarterback to the roster this offseason. Will the opening round see it happen? We’ll have to watch and find out.