Seahawks Prediction: QB Michael Penix Drafted to Replace Geno Smith in Seattle

Seahawks Prediction: QB Michael Penix Drafted to Replace Geno Smith in Seattle

This doesn't have to have anything to do with any recent struggles on the part of established QB Geno Smith. Rather, the idea of the Seattle Seahawks entering next year's NFL Draft with an eye on Washington star Michael Penix Jr. can simply be about ...

The future. Oh, and common sense.

We already know that Seattle coach Pete Carroll is a fan of sorts, having said before this season (via “Brock and Salk''), “Oh, I don’t think there’s any doubt (that Penix is an NFL quarterback). ... He’ll be challenging somebody, someday.”

And that was before Penix' explosion onto the scene this year, as through the first nine games of 2023, Penix has thrown for 3,201 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions in becoming a Heisman Trophy candidate.

A recent mock draft has the 6-3, 216-pound Penix landing in Seattle with the No. 25 overall pick, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso saying he is “enamored” with the idea of Penix staying "home'' and eventually taking over for Geno after learning under him.

Penix is the No. 4 quarterback taken in this mock, with three others - USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy - all going inside the top 10.

Seattle Sports’ Brock Huard, the former QB, also sees Penix being a name to watch for the Seahawks.

“When (former Washington coach) Chris Petersen says in 47 years of watching college quarterbacks that he’s never seen anyone like him, that’s not a recency bias. That’s watching the tape,” Huard said recently on “Brock and Salk.” "Penix makes (throws) that nobody else makes. ... So keep watching Penix.''

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Carroll's evaluation last year included the coach saying that Penix is "terrific ... He’s poised, he’s strong, he’s accurate. ... It’s really impressive.''

If it's that "terrific'' and "impressive,'' how does Penix last until late in the first round, where Seattle figures to be picking? That is a mock question for another day.