QB Penix Jr. eager to show scouts what he can do
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Pete Thamel
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Jeff Legwold
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Jeff Legwold
ESPN Senior Writer
- Jeff Legwold is a senior writer who covers the Denver Broncos and the NFL at ESPN. Jeff has covered the Broncos for more than 20 years, joining ESPN in 2013. He also assists with NFL draft coverage, including his annual top 100 prospects. Jeff has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors since 1999. He has attended every scouting combine since 1987.
MOBILE, Ala. — Former Washington star quarterback Michael Penix Jr.‘s career arc has been defined by overcoming adversity, as he endured four season-ending injuries during his first four seasons of college football while playing at Indiana.
Penix stayed healthy the past two years at Washington, leading the nation in passing yards per game in both 2022 and 2023 and going 25-3 as a starter.
Penix came to the Senior Bowl this week to compete for a spot in the NFL draft’s first round, as his injury history is part of the reason that his prolific production the past two years doesn’t match his draft projections.
Penix knows there will be questions about his health history. And Penix told ESPN that he went to see Dr. Neal S. ElAttrache, the noted surgeon from the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles. ElAttrache took scans of the Penix’s right knee, which has endured two ACL tears that ended his 2018 and 2020 seasons.
Penix told ESPN that ElAttrache will be available to talk to any teams that have questions, but said that he got a “thumbs up” from ElAttrache and “there’s nothing to hold me back.” That aligns with how Penix’s knee felt in the three seasons since the second ACL tear, as that specific injury hasn’t caused him to miss a practice, workout or game in those seasons.
He added: “Some of that stuff I can’t control. I can tell them how I feel, I can show them how I feel, that’s all I can do at that point. I’ve got plenty of scans to show them, the doctor says I’m clear, nothing’s wrong, I don’t see why they would think I’m hurt, really. I can just show them what I can do.”
Penix did that plenty on the field the past two seasons at Washington. He led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff in 2023, as they started 14-0 before losing to Michigan in the College Football Playoff championship.
This season, Penix threw for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 65.4% of his passes in an offense that put a premium on pushing the ball down the field. He also took just 16 sacks on more than 1,100 passing attempts the past two years thanks to a strong offensive line and the deft ability to feel pressure.
Asked whether he’s frustrated that he still needs to prove himself to evaluators, Penix quickly dismissed the notion. “I can’t control other people’s perspectives or how they view me as a quarterback,” he said. “For me, I just got to continue to be myself and continue to work hard each and every day to show them that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be great, and I belong anywhere that I end up.”
Penix has spent the weeks since the national title game training with noted quarterback tutor John Beck of 3DQB in Southern California.
He said that the 34-13 loss in the national title game to Michigan was “tough for me to get over at first,” but he has been excited to get back on the field.
During Senior Bowl practices this week in Mobile, Penix and the other quarterbacks have met with groups of five NFL teams at once. He said the questions have mostly involved his background and journey through football.
Penix played the first four years of his career at Indiana. Along with the ACL injuries, two other seasons (2019 and 2021) ended with shoulder injuries, one to each shoulder. Neither of those injuries is expected to impact him in the NFL.
Penix is appreciative of the moments at the Senior Bowl after those years where injuries intersected his seasons.
“It was hard for me to just go out there and have fun at that time,” he said. “I was just trying to get to that point where you can go back out there and find fun in the game again. I was blessed — I am blessed — to be in this position where I have found I can go out there and have fun.”
Penix sprayed passes around the field Tuesday, the familiar sight of the ball exploding out of his left hand. The setting showcased his arm talent, with hundreds of NFL evaluators scattered around Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of South Alabama. And he’s eager to keep putting on a show.
“Just building relationships here, building relationships with people, elevating myself as a person and player here,” Penix said. “Just trying to get to know as many people as I can, being out here in front of these coaches, to show my skills in front of them. I’m soaking in the moment. As long as I soak in all of the moments and get everything out of it I can, I feel like it will a great week for me.”
Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.
Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.
The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.
If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.
Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.
“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”
Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.
“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”
Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.
The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.
“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”
The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.
Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.
The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”
Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.
Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.
San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.
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