Morning Sports Update

Patriots reportedly hosting Michael Penix Jr. ahead of the NFL Draft

The Washington standout appears to be the latest quarterback to make a pre-draft visit to New England.

Michael Penix Jr. Patriots
Michael Penix Jr. looks to throw during Washington's NFL pro day Thursday, March 28, 2024. AP Photo/John Froschauer

By Hayden Bird

3 minutes to read

Patriots meet with another quarterback: As the NFL Draft draws nearer (the first round gets underway on Thursday, April 25), the mystery over what the Patriots will do with the third overall pick has only appeared to grow.

Instead of providing more clarity, the pre-draft process has only served to make predictions about New England’s direction murkier. Mock drafts have projected trades and potential quarterback selections.

One of the more interesting quarterback options is Washington standout Michael Penix Jr.

Penix, 23, led Washington to a National Championship game appearance last season, throwing 36 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and 4,903 passing yards (with a 65.4-percent completion percentage).

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And while many of the projections think New England will take Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, or possibly even J.J. McCarthy, Patriots leadership appears to be covering all the bases by also meeting with Penix.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Penix had dinner with New England’s leadership on Monday night in Foxborough, and will participate in one of the team’s top-30 visits on Tuesday.

“New England continued to do all the QB homework,” Rapoport noted.

Penix is far from the only signal-caller the Patriots have met with, and it could be simply a case of the team doing its due diligence. He is not projected as a top pick (though he could still go in the first round).

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Still, the potential of drafting Penix once again opens the door to possible trade scenarios. If New England moved back in the first round and acquired multiple picks, a move for Penix could make sense.

Trivia: According to Pro Football Reference, the Patriots have only drafted three players from the University of Washington in team history. Of those three, only one had a major impact. He made an All-Pro team and also four Pro Bowls, spending seven of his 15 NFL seasons in New England. Can you name that player?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He was selected one round after Terry Glenn and one round before Tedy Bruschi.

Scores and schedules:

The 128th Boston Marathon was held on Monday with 30,000 runners navigating their way over the demanding 26.2-mile course. Ethiopian Sisay Lemma won the men’s race, with Hellen Obiri winning the women’s competition. Here’s the full list of winners and top results from each division.

The Red Sox also played on Monday afternoon, falling 6-0 to the Guardians. The two teams play again this evening at Fenway Park at 7:10 p.m.

The Bruins lost on Monday night, falling 2-0 to the Capitals. Boston plays the regular season finale at home tonight against the Senators at 7 p.m. (after which the Bruins will also learn who their playoff opponent will be).

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More from Boston.com:

The Maine Celtics: Though the Celtics’ affiliate fell short in the G-League finals, this was still a nice alley-oop from J.D. Davison to Kylor Kelley.

The WNBA Draft: The league conducted what was probably its highest-profile draft on Monday, with Caitlin Clark going first overall to the Indiana Fever.

On this day: In 2007, Boston sports delivered one of its greatest gifts to the world: The pizza throw.

Daily highlight: In case you missed it, here’s Wilyer Abreu tremendous catch in Yesterday’s Patriots’ Day loss to the Guardians.

Trivia answer: Lawyer Milloy

Hayden Bird

Sports Staff

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.

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