Full Seattle Seahawks 2024 7-Round Mock Draft: Trade back and bow down

Round 1 Pick 24: Michael Penix Jr., Quarterback, Washington 

With the Seahawks slotted at pick number 15, they are sitting in no man's land. They are too far back to draft Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, or Drake Maye, and the cost to get there would be insane. This range of the draft puts them in the 2nd tier of QBs such as Oregon's Bo Nix, Michigan’s JJ McCarthy, and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. 

With no 2nd-round pick, we decided to trade back with the Cincinnati Bengals (who selected Malik Nabers to replace Tee Higgins) to move back to number 24 and collect a late 2nd-round pick. It was important to me to trade back enough to get a 2nd round pick, but still keep a 1st rounder, as I want to keep that 5th year option available for my first selection.

Sitting at pick number 24, I was stoked to select Michael Penix Jr. Most people reading this don't need a full bio breakdown of Mr. Penix, so here's the Cliff Notes version. At 6-3, 218 lbs, Penix has been arguably the 2nd best quarterback in college football the past two seasons. Finishing 8th in the Heisman in 2022, and the runner-up this year, Penix has awakened the sleeping giant that is Washington Huskies football.

The lefty gunslinger with an unusual throwing motion, there are mixes of Tua Tagovailoa and Philip Rivers to his game. In the past two seasons, Penix has done two things; win and throw absolute darts. 

In his two years on Montlake, Penix has led the Huskies to a 24-2 record, an Alamo Bowl victory, a Pac-12 Championship, and the number 2 seed in the CFP. During that time, Penix has completed over 65 percent of his passes for nearly 9,000 yards and a 64/17 TD-to-INT ratio. What's more impressive is the difficulty of the throws he makes and his 9.2 average yards per attempt. His mobility is not what it once was, but he can manipulate the pocket and get first downs, and when given time, he's throwing for first downs and touchdowns.

If not for his injury history and funky motion, Penix could easily be the top pick in next year's draft. His “warts” to some should be used as an opportunity for the Seahawks to win the draft, and find a perfect replacement for when the time is right to move on from Geno Smith.