Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. appears to be destined to be one of the top quarterbacks selected in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. And according to legendary NFL quarterback Warren Moon, he may have just increased his draft stock at his Pro Day on Thursday.
Penix has been praised throughout the year for his supreme arm talent. But perhaps the most impressive thing he did on Thursday was show off his underrated athleticism.
He wasn’t asked to scramble all that much in Washington’s system. But on Thursday, he showed that he very much has that ability, running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash.
MP9 showed off the zoomies with that 4.46u 🤯@themikepenix | @UW_Football pic.twitter.com/KwAxygBCjH
— NFL (@NFL) March 28, 2024
To put this into perspective, this is the same time that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields ran back when he ran at the NFL Combine.
When it came time for Penix to throw, he also didn’t disappoint, showing off all the arm talent that he has been praised for over the past year at Washington.
Mike Penix, Jr. showed off the arm strength & elite ball placement here 😤@themikepenix | @UW_Football
(via @OmarDRuiz) pic.twitter.com/e2bdVLinOQ
— NFL (@NFL) March 28, 2024
Warren Moon, a former Washington Huskie in his own right, was thoroughly impressed with Penix’s performance. He took to social media to rave about Penix’s Pro Day performance.
“Watched Michael Penix Jr. throw today at UW Pro day,” tweeted Moon. What a display of arm talent! GO DAWGS!!!”
Watched Michael Penix Jr throw today at UW Pro day. What a display of arm talent! GO DAWGS!!! 🏈
— Warren Moon (@WMoon1) March 28, 2024
Fans wholeheartedly agree with Moon, similarly taking to social media to praise Penix after his great day.
Michael Penix Jr. is a 4.4 guy and if you are shocked by that, you haven’t watched enough of his tape. His speed showed up at Indiana and Washington despite his limited rushing stats. He is a THROW FIRST DISTRIBUTOR OF THE BALL who makes sure his guys EAT. @themikepenix pic.twitter.com/V2GtT9Tajt
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 28, 2024
Michael Penix ran for *8* yards in 15 games last season but is apparently a 4.4 guy pic.twitter.com/8WCKCIrCGm
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) March 28, 2024
Billy, this player is named Michael Penix. He ran a 4.46 40 at his pro day and has the best arm coming out of college this year.
He should be a top 10 pick in the draft but he won't because the league is full of dummies. pic.twitter.com/iObx0ToEDD
— Baker Breadman (@NFLonBread) March 28, 2024
Michael Penix Jr. is, in fact, athletic 😅 https://t.co/c8tREQLTRP pic.twitter.com/4hC7KfTeYN
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) March 28, 2024
Michael Penix had 2 ACL tears and barely scrambled in college, but is apparently as fast as Jalen Hurts?! https://t.co/KTSoABh8RR
— Josh Larky (@jlarkytweets) March 28, 2024
Penix Jr. has largely been listed as a tier below the likes of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels as a prospect. But this performance certainly may have changed that narrative a bit amongst NFL scout.
At the very least, it made a pretty big impact in Warren Moon’s eyes.
