Alright, so let me walk you through what I did when I decided to really look into this Michael Penix Jr. combine stuff. It wasn’t like I was some pro scout, just a guy curious about the whole thing, especially with all the talk surrounding him.
My First Steps: The Arm Talent
First thing on my list, I had to see this arm for myself. You hear things like, “he’s got a really strong arm, good accuracy and I would say, specifically, on the deep ball.” That’s the kind of buzz that gets your attention. So, I started digging up whatever videos I could find of him throwing. Not just game highlights, but any drills, any combine-like situations. I wanted to see if that ball really popped out of his hand like they said.
The Big Hurdle: Injury History
Then, you hit the part that everyone was whispering about, or sometimes shouting about: the injuries. Before he even got to Seattle for his college ball, he had those “two season-ending shoulder injuries and two ACL tears.” Man, that’s a heavy medical chart. So, a big chunk of my “practice” here was trying to figure out how teams would even approach that at the combine. The medical checks are huge, probably more important for him than any 40-yard dash.
I spent a good while just thinking about that. How do you weigh that incredible arm talent against such a history? It’s not easy, and I wasn’t pretending to have the final answer, just trying to understand the dilemma.
Watching Him as a Pocket Passer
I also paid close attention to his style. They said he “excels as a pocket passer, similar to Matthew Stafford and Cousins.” So, when I watched him, I was looking for that. How did he operate from the pocket? Did he look comfortable? Did he have that poise? Even in drills, you can sometimes get a feel for that. It’s not like he was known for running all over the place; I mean, he “ran for 524 yards in six college seasons,” which tells you he’s not a primary runner. His strength was clearly that arm and his pocket presence.
Connecting to NFL Schemes
It was also interesting to hear how “Atlanta felt that Penix fits what their new offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, coming from Sean McVay’s offense, would like from a quarterback.” That got me thinking. Okay, what specifically did they see? Was it the quick release? The ability to read defenses from the pocket? I tried to put myself in their shoes, looking at Penix through that “McVay offense” lens. You know, trying to connect the dots between his skills shown (or discussed around the combine) and what that kind of offense demands.
My Overall Takeaways from the “Practice”
So, after all that looking and thinking, my main takeaway was that the combine for Penix was probably less about wowing everyone with athletic tests and more about those medical evaluations and confirming the arm talent in person. The throwing sessions would have been key. Can he still make all the throws? Does that arm look live? And then, those team interviews, where they try to get a feel for him as a person and his understanding of the game.
It was a fascinating process, just going through the information available, watching what I could, and trying to piece together the puzzle of a prospect like Michael Penix Jr. It’s not just about stats on a page; it’s about trying to understand the whole player, warts and all. That was my little project, just trying to get a clearer picture.
