The Broncos had a top-30 pre-draft visit with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

According to 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis, the Denver Broncos had their top-30 pre-draft visit with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. yesterday. The potential first-round quarterback visited Broncos headquarters yesterday and met with the team.

First, a reminder or refresher on what exactly a top 30 visit is. Each NFL team in the days and weeks before the start of the NFL Draft is allowed to invite up to 30 different prospects to come in for what amounts to a job interview. From there, they will work them out, show them the facility, meet with coaches, and essentially have a job interview. It is just another step in the long scouting process leading up to the NFL Draft.

He is a 6-2, 216-pound quarterback who could be a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. NFL Network’s lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Penix Jr. ranked as his 33rd overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft and has him as his sixth-best quarterback in the draft.

Penix has exceptional arm strength and toughness. He has a unique, whippy, three-quarters delivery from the left side, and the ball explodes out of his hand. He can hang on his back foot and effortlessly drive the ball 55 yards. He excels driving throws outside and tosses a beautiful, lofting deep ball. He does have issues getting throws up and down in the middle of the field. His ball can stay flat. He is quick to process and consistently gets to No. 3 in the route progression. He flashed the ability to avoid, escape and create against Texas in the College Football Playoff. He’s been through a litany of injuries during his career, but he managed to overcome them and led Washington to the national title game. Overall, durability is a legitimate concern, but I believe in his combination of vision, accuracy and arm strength.

The former Indiana transfer played a total of two seasons at Washington and turned into one of the best quarterbacks in the country. During his two years at Washington, Penix Jr. totaled 9,544 yards, 67 passing touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. He added 70 rushing attempts for 100 yards and 7 career rushing touchdowns as well. This past season for the Huskies, he passed for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while adding 3 rushing touchdowns.

If the Broncos cannot move up for one of the top four quarterbacks, Penix Jr. along with Bo Nix are the second tier of quarterbacks they will be looking at. I believe Nix fits very well in Sean Payton’s offense and I think Penix Jr. can as well. His arm talent is amongst the best in the draft, he has the intelligence and accuracy that teams value, and he could be in play for the Broncos in the first or second round of the draft.

The Broncos have done their homework on Penix during this draft process. They met with him in some capacity at the Senior Bowl, had a formal interview with him at the Combine, they were present at his Pro Day, and now had him at their facility for a pre-draft visit.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has specific traits he looks for in a quarterback and Penix Jr. does check a lot of those boxes. However, his medicals could be a concern and could potentially impact where he goes in the draft. He has two torn ACLs in the past along with other injuries and faces durability questions moving forward. So, teams will likely want to have their own doctors get a look at him before the draft and then decide where they are going to place him on their draft board.

Penix is a talented quarterback prospect who would fit well in Sean Payton’s offense but his medicals will be key in this process. What do you think Broncos Country? Should the Broncos take Penix Jr. in the first round of the draft or later if possible?