Potential 1st-Round QB Sends Message to Broncos on Doorstep of NFL Draft

With the NFL draft set to kick off on Thursday night, Michael Penix Jr. has literally sent a message to the Denver Broncos and the 31 other teams of the NFL.

Nov 11, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) walks / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Start your engines. The 2024 NFL draft is very nearly upon us.

By this point, the Denver Broncos have performed all the due diligence required to pull the trigger on the prospects they want. Given the Broncos' ongoing quest to find a new franchise quarterback, the final detail could come down to how an individual presents himself.

On that front, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. sent a letter to NFL teams that speaks volumes of his character and massive determination to succeed.

"Truth is, I’d be more worried if I had never been injured. We don’t all come back the same. I can’t speak for those that have never gone through anything. But I can speak on me. I’ve seen how deep my foundation is. I know the storms I’m prepared to weather. For most people that’d be the end of their story. But there’s more to my story, and I own every page of it," Penix wrote via The Player's Tribune.

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The Broncos have shown an interest in Penix, and should opportunity come knocking, it wouldn't be surprising if they select the strong-armed 23-year-old. However, the big concern about the southpaw Husky is his extensive injury jacket.

At the NFL Combine, Penix breezed through a battery of physicals, but some lingering doubts can lead to teams talking themselves out of selecting a prospect with such an extensive injury jacket, even if he is the right player.

Penix reached out to teams in a further attempt to put their collective minds at ease. Broncos head coach Sean Payton is experienced enough to trust in the medical reports that have crossed his desk, and Penix has displayed an appetite to succeed — a powerful intangible.

Such are the vagaries of the entire draft process. Sitting on the No. 12 overall pick in the draft, Payton could be banking upon several teams being far less convinced on the medical evaluations they've compiled on Penix.

That scenario might facilitate trading out of the 12 spot — an idea that the Broncos might embrace, especially if they were able to still land Penix at the bottom end of the draft. Of course, the draft is a crapshoot that comes with inherent risk, but Penix has seemingly done all he can to assuage any lingering concerns and get teams to buy into his total package. 

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