10 players for Patriots fans to watch in Monday’s national championship game
Monday's game between Washington and Michigan is full of players with NFL potential, including at quarterback for both teams.
The Patriots’ season comes to an end Sunday, but some future Patriots players could be playing Monday night.
Both Washington and Michigan are littered with players whom evaluators believe are likely to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. While the Patriots have all but locked up a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, there actually aren’t many players in Monday’s game that are currently projected to go in that range, though that could obviously change in the coming months. Perhaps Monday night could help a player catapult their way into being a top-five pick?
But the Patriots will be holding draft selections at the beginning of each round, and there are many holes they have to fill on their roster after their wretched season. So, here are 10 players for Patriots fans to watch for in Monday’s national title game.
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
For those who might not watch college football until the postseason, Washington’s gunslinger introduced himself to a major audience in a big way in the Sugar Bowl. Penix threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns in Washington’s 37-31 win over Texas, putting up one of the best performances ever by a quarterback in the College Football Playoff.
But for those who’ve watched Penix all season long, Monday’s game was nothing new. The lefty’s 4,648 passing yards are the most in the nation as he’s tossed for 35 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 14 games, leading the Huskies to an undefeated record. He was good enough in the regular season to finish second in the Heisman voting, bettering his 2022 campaign when he threw for 4,641 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Despite the impressive stats, Penix hasn’t been discussed among draft evaluators in the same realm as Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. He’s an older prospect, turning 24 before the start of next season, and has an extensive injury history – tearing his right ACL twice and suffering a pair of season-ending shoulder injuries.
ESPN’s Matt Miller wrote that even after Penix’s performance against Texas, the quarterback’s draft status was “all over the place” among 10 scouts and general managers he polled. He wrote that one scout thinks Penix could be selected as high as No. 6 overall, while another scout gave the Washington QB a third-round grade. Only three of the scouts and general managers Miller polled viewed Penix as a first-round pick.
Some of those factors, like age and injury history, are out of Penix’s control. But a strong performance against Michigan’s highly touted defense could potentially benefit him come springtime.
Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
Michigan also has a quarterback who might be in the same tier as Penix as a prospect. McCarthy led the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff for the second straight season as their starting quarterback.
The junior didn’t necessarily put up similar eye-popping stats that Penix did to reach the national title game, but he’s been one of the country’s most efficient quarterbacks this season as he runs the show for Michigan’s slower-paced, methodical offense. McCarthy’s thrown for just 2,851 yards, but his 73.2 completion percentage is the third-best mark in the nation as he’s thrown 22 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
One thing McCarthy has over Penix is his speed. He’s reportedly run a 40-yard dash in the high 4.4 range, which has allowed Michigan to use him on design runs throughout his three years in Ann Arbor. He’s rushed for three touchdowns and 171 yards this season (sacks count against a quarterback’s rushing total in college football).
Still, the lack of major production caused some concern among the group of 10 scouts and general managers Miller recently polled. McCarthy’s 221-yard, three-touchdown performance against Alabama was the first time he threw for over 150 yards in a game against a ranked opponent this season, as Miller noted. However, McCarthy only threw the ball eight times against Penn State and was an efficient 16 of 20 for 148 yards against Ohio State.
Of the group Miller polled, the consensus is that McCarthy’s a first-round pick, with an AFC Esst scout comparing his skillset to Joe Burrow’s. Maybe McCarthy will have a performance like Burrow did in LSU’s national title game in 2019 that could propel him up draft boards.
Washington WR Rome Odunze
Beyond the quarterbacks, arguably the most enticing draft prospect in Monday’s game is Washington’s star wideout.
Odunze has established a strong connection with Penix ever since the quarterback transferred from Indiana last season, recording consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. The redshirt junior has 87 receptions for 1,553 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
After Marvin Harrison Jr., Odunze might be the best receiver prospect in the ‘24 draft. Many mock drafts have him being selected in the middle of the first round, if not being a top-10 pick, due to his production along with his 6-foot-3 frame. He’s also delivered in clutch moments for Washington this season, making a contested catch on a fourth-down play to seal Washington’s win over Oregon State and rushing for 23 yards on another fourth-down play on its game-winning drive against Washington State.
Washington T Troy Fautanu
With Michigan and North Andover native Zak Zinter done for the season, the clear top offensive line prospect in Monday’s game is the Washington junior.
Fautanu’s been stellar as Washington’s starting left tackle over the last two seasons. He’s given up just two sacks, four quarterback hits, and 30 pressures since the start of 2022, according to Pro Football Focus.
Even though Michigan doesn’t have a singular elite pass rusher, its front seven is stout. It recorded six sacks against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Michigan recorded more sacks this season than anyone Washington played outside of one opponent (Oregon) as well.
Fautanu has been ranked among the top 50 prospects by multiple draft evaluators, but some believe he’ll move to guard due to his traits.
Michigan DT Kris Jenkins
The most notable player of Michigan’s front seven comes in its defensive interior.
Jenkins became one of the nation’s top defensive tackles this season, recording 35 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. He even got his hands on a ball for an interception. Pro Football Focus credited Jenkins 15 hurries this season, helping him get named second-team All-American. He also spearheaded a Michigan defense that allowed just 87.1 rushing yards per game this season, the sixth-best mark in the nation.
Jenkins has been ranked in a similar range as Fautanu by draft evaluators, potentially making him a Day 2 pick.
Washington EDGE Bralen Trice
Even though Washington isn’t known for its defense (in fact, it ranked 94th in total defense this season), it arguably has the best defensive prospect in Monday’s game.
Trice has been one of the lone consistent marks of a Huskies defense that’s been less than stellar this season, recording 46 total tackles and seven sacks. Two of those sacks came in the Sugar Bowl, adding a forced fumble to the mix as Washington’s defense did just enough to outlast Texas.
Trice took down the quarterback more in 2022, recording 10 sacks. But Pro Football Focus credited him for more pressures this season than last, with Trice posting 53 hurries this year.
Trice has been ranked as high as the teens in evaluators’ big boards of prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft, which could make it difficult for New England to land him.
Michigan RB Blake Corum
Corum’s arguably been the Wolverines’ best player over the last two seasons, rushing for 1,463 yards last season before going for 1,111 yards so far in 2023. The senior hasn’t been as efficient this year after a knee surgery ended his 2022 campaign just before the end of the regular season, but he’s still rushed for 4.7 yards per carry and 25 touchdowns.
The star running back has stepped up in the biggest games for Michigan though this season. He rushed for 144 yards on 5.6 yards per carry and two scores against Penn State. Last week, he rushed for 83 yards on 4.4 yards per carry, coming up with a big fourth-down reception and broke out of multiple tackles for the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Corum’s a bit more stocky, standing at 5-foot-8 and weighing 213 pounds. But the production and his ability to navigate the field is tough to ignore, which is why Mel Kiper Jr. has him ranked as his fifth-best running back prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Washington WRs Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan
Odunze isn’t the only Huskies receiver who is projected to go in the top half of the 2024 NFL Draft. In fact, there are two more that could be selected within the first few rounds.
Polk has been ranked by draft evaluators as the higher of the two. The redshirt sophomore’s recorded 65 receptions for 1,122 yards and nine touchdowns this season despite playing second fiddle to Odunze plus missing a couple of games due to injury. Pro Football Focus called Polk “one of the go-to contested-catch receivers” in the nation, praising his hands in its scouting report of him. His 6-foot-2 frame certainly helps, too.
McMillan, meanwhile, played the first three games of the season but a knee injury sidelined him until Washington’s regular-season finale. The junior has produced in a big way over Washington’s last two games though. He recorded nine receptions for 131 yards in the Pac-12 title game against Oregon before posting 58 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Sugar Bowl, producing as Washington’s slot receiver.
Michigan CB Mike Sainristil
Waiting for McMillan in the slot will likely be Sainristil, who grew up in Everett after his family moved from Haiti when he was just several months old.
Sainristil has proven to be an integral part of Michigan’s defensive success this season. He’s recorded 36 total tackles, five interceptions, and two forced fumbles this season forming one of the strongest secondaries in the nation alongside Will Johnson (who isn’t draft-eligible), among others. In addition to the five interceptions, Sainristil has allowed just 22 receptions on 41 targets for 344 yards and three touchdowns, with quarterbacks posting a 66.6 passer rating when throwing in his direction this season, per Pro Football Focus.
If Bill Belichick outlasts the hot seat rumors, Sainristil seems like a prototypical Belichick prospect. He began his Michigan career at wide receiver, recording 539 receiving yards and five touchdowns over three seasons.
Other notable names
Michigan has several players that appear to likely be drafted in 2024, even if they might selected in the later rounds. Donovan Edwards was once viewed as one of the top running back prospects in the draft after rushing for 991 yards last year, but 393 rushing yards this season has probably hurt his draft stock.
Junior Colson is ranked as the third-best off-ball linebacker in the draft by Kiper. While that position isn’t much of a need for the Patriots, Colson could give them another strong option at the position as he’s recorded 190 total tackles in the last two years.
In terms of need, Michigan tight end AJ Barner could be of interest for New England and pop off on Monday. The senior transfer from Indiana is ranked as Kiper’s ninth-best tight end prospect in the 2024 draft, but he’s played second fiddle to Colston Loveland this season, recording just 22 receptions for 249 yards and a touchdown.
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