2024 NFL Mock Draft: Rams pick quarterback

With the 19th overall pick in the 2024 Bleeding Green Nation community mock draft, Los Angeles Rams GM Nolo0oo selects …

Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

THE OPPORTUNITY

One of the rarest sights in modern NFL history is seeing the “Los Angeles Rams on the clock” on night one of the NFL draft. This looks to be the first time the Rams could make a first round pick since 2016, and the first of the Sean McVay era. It’s strange to consider that McVay’s accomplished two Super Bowl appearances, winning one, with offseason retirement rumors swirling in recent years… all without drafting a first rounder. With this in mind, I couldn’t help myself when the rare opportunity to draft for them came about.

THE TEAM

Since his hiring in 2012, Rams GM Les Snead has put himself in the conversation of one of the top GMs in the league. Star power and aggression rule the Snead draft pick philosophy. His most “recent” first round picks include Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, and Jared Goff, whom the Rams traded a 2017 pick to move up with the Titans to select. Since then they’ve traded away firsts for Brandin Cooks, Jalen Ramsey and Matthew Stafford, each contributing to a Super Bowl appearance.

The temptation to make a splash in light of this and select Xavier Worthy here is real. The Rams should think about life after Cooper Kupp who turns 31 in June, and the blazing Worthy could really take their offense to another level. However, the Rams have proven themselves to be great at selecting star receivers in later rounds—Kupp in round 3 and Puka Nacua in round 5, as examples. This looks to be a deep WR draft as well. Matthew Stafford is 36, and QB is much harder to replace. We must capitalize on this rare opportunity.

THE PLAYER

QB Michel Penix Jr. is the perfect prospect to sit behind Stafford for a year or two. He was a 6 year college starter, who played at Indiana (2018-2021) and Washington (2022-2023) Despite 6 college seasons, Penix is still only 23. He’s sneaky athletic, measuring at 6’2”, 216 lbs, and running a 4.58 at his Pro Day. You wouldn’t know it though based on his rushing production, scrambling only 10 times his senior year in 14 games. He was actually sacked more times (12) than he scrambled. Penix is a pure pocket passer, a southpaw, throwing 88% of his passes from within the pocket.

A TALE OF TWO TEAMS

Penix is a bit of a polarizing prospect, mostly due to his four years at Indiana, where had two ACL tears in his right knee (2018 and 2020), and injuries to his non-throwing and throwing shoulders (2019 and 2021 respectively), resulting in early endings to all four seasons at Indiana.

He finished his Hoosier career 342-of-576 (59.4%) with 29 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and five 300-yard games. He rushed for 165 yards on 64 attempts with six scores.

But it’s his two years of playing for Washington where his potential really shined. He was very consistent, posting nearly identical statistical seasons, finishing his Huskie career 725-1109 (65.4%) with 67 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. He rushed for 100 yards on 70 attempts with seven scores. In 2023, Penix finished second in Heisman voting, leading the Huskies to the CFB Championship game.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The biggest gaps in his game are his footwork, throwing mechanics and inconsistent reads, but he’s shown mechanical improvement in the pre-draft evaluation process. As stated, a year or two behind Stafford would do him well in all facets of his game to further improve. When facing pressure, his adjusted completion percentage dropped from 78% to 58%.

His strengths are his protection of the football, his strong arm, and large hands (10.5 inches) – top-10 all time for QBs at the combine. Despite his lack of scrambles, Penix doesn’t take many sacks, boasting only a 7.6% pressure to sack ratio, which is elite. With his strong arm, he throws accurate deep balls and sideline passes, leading all CFB QBs in 2023 with 125 completed deep attempts.

SUMMARY

While not a complete prospect, the Los Angeles Rams offer the perfect opportunity for Heisman runner-up Michael Penix Jr. to grow behind Matthew Stafford, into his full potential as a high-upside pocket passer with sneaky athletic traits. There he can fix his main weaknesses, which are his throwing mechanics and reads under pressure. His injury history shouldn’t scare teams, as he showed prolific passing skills in two full, healthy seasons at Washington, posting great statistics, and leading them to the CFB championship game. I look forward to seeing where Michael Penix Jr. ultimately goes in this upcoming NFL draft!

P.S. For the record, my two previous BGN Community mock picks were:

2019 Colts at 26, AJ Brown, WR

2022 Chiefs at 30, Trevor Penning, OL

I’d say I’m 1 for 2 on hits vs. busts as an armchair GM.

2024 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Bears (Draftjunky): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2) Commanders (surefooted): Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
3) Patriots (niels.rosenquist): Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
4) Cardinals (eaglenomics): Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
5) Chargers (SeanEFootball): Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
6) Giants (89Tremaine) Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
7) Titans (Philly21): Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
8) Falcons (Eagles_Blitz80): Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
9) Bears (pheebthegoose): Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
10) Jets (GreenGrampa): Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
11) Vikings (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
12) Broncos (PBARB1978): Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
13) Raiders (iam4theBirdz): Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
14) Saints (Fly Like An Eagle): Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
15) Colts (J. Wil): Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
16) Seahawks (Phreezy E): Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
17) Jaguars (dredscottroberts): WR Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
18) Bengals (grantspectations): Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
19) Rams (Nolo0oo): Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
20) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen)
21) Dolphins (Neil Dutton)
22) Eagles (ablesser88)
23) Vikings (RabidPanda13)
24) Cowboys (Elliptical Man)
25) Packers (LeFire)
26) Buccaneers (FlJoe)
27) Cardinals (green1us)
28) Bills (Leo Bedio)
29) Lions (MrOilman)
30) Ravens (LancGuy)
31) 49ers (SakPrescott)
32) Chiefs (Hoosinole)

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Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected in the 2024 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Bears: QB Caleb Williams
2) Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels
3) Patriots: QB Drake Maye
4) Cardinals: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
5) Chargers: WR Malik Nabers
6) Giants: WR Rome Odunze
7) Titans: OT Joe Alt
8) Falcons: EDGE Dallas Turner
9) Bears: OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu
10) Jets: TE Brock Bowers
11) Vikings: QB J.J. McCarthy
12) Broncos: QB Bo Nix
13) Raiders: OT Taliese Fuaga
14) Saints: OT Troy Fautanu
15) Colts: CB Quinyon Mitchell
16) Seahawks: DT Byron Murphy
17) Jaguars: CB Terrion Arnold
18) Bengals: OT J.C. Latham
19) Rams: