Patriots set up one more surprise quarterback visit
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 08: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Washington Huskies throws the ball in the third quarter against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2024 CFP National Championship game at NRG Stadium on January 08, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
A surprise meeting for the New England Patriots: they’ve had dinner and a top-30 meeting with former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., as reported by the NFL Network’s #Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. is set to have dinner with #Patriots brass and coaches tonight in Foxboro, and he has a Top 30 visit tomorrow, sources say. New England continued to do all the QB homework…
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ian Rapoport.
Penix is one of the more enigmatic prospects in the entire 2024 NFL Draft class. He’s coming off a senior year in which he led Washington to the BCS National Championship game, completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. However, he was just 27-of-51 (52.9 percent) for 255 yards, one touchdown, and two picks in a national championship loss against Michigan.
The game was an unfortunate departure from an otherwise stellar senior year for Penix, whose draft stock may be hurt by other factors. He’s a left-handed quarterback, a rarity in the NFL, and has an extensive injury history, including two ACL tears in his right knee. Penix also dislocated the SC joint in his non-throwing shoulder in 2019, then separated the AC joint in his throwing shoulder in 2021.

Former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (pictured above) had a meeting with the New England Patriots prior to the 2024 NFL Draft. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
These setbacks are part of the reason Penix ended up playing six seasons in college, as he started at LSU before transferring to Washington for his final two years. So, in the draft, Penix is generally projected as a late-first or early-second round pick, rather than the top of the first.
Penix is a bit of a surprise visit for the Patriots, despite their clear interest in evaluating the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 draft. That’s because the Pats had a ... Patriots college scouting director Cam Williams was the one who didn't make the trip from Baton Rouge to Chapel Hill. Instead, Williams went to Washington, where he'll lead a group of four NE scouts at Michael Penix's Pro Day.
(The Commanders meet with Maye this AM as well.)
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 28, 2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">much lower contingent of scouts at Penix’s Pro Day, and did not meet with Penix at the combine.
Based on the presence of key figures like head coach Jerod Mayo, director of scouting Eliot Wolf, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, the Patriots have shown a far greater level of interest in UNC’s Drake Maye, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. All three have also had top-30 visits with New England.
MORE: 2024 Patriots pre-draft meeting tracker
Then again, they call this “The Lying Season” for a reason. It’s impossible to know for sure what the Patriots are actually going to do with the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, be it draft a quarterback, draft another position, or trade down and go from there. But if they really want Penix, they won’t need to use the No. 3 pick to get him.
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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt’s content.
Dolloff's Patriots Mock Draft 3.0: Best-case scenarios
Ideally, the New England Patriots revamp their offense in the 2024 NFL Draft. And do it flawlessly throughout their picks.
Of course, that isn’t a realistic proposition, but the Pats need to try. It’s imperative to address that side of the ball simply based on what’s currently on their 2024 roster. But it’s especially true since the 2024 drat class is deep at their positions of need, and at No. 3 overall, it’s lined up perfectly for them to take a big swing on a big-time quarterback prospect.
So, I’m not straying from that formula in my final mock draft of 2024. We’re keeping it simple. No trades. Just a general projection based on a range of picks, which in real life may require a deal, but in a mock draft would just make things more complicated than it needs to be.
From rounds 1-7, we’ve got the Patriots taking a quarterback, two wide receivers, two tackles, a tight end, and a cornerback, all of whom are expected to go at or around their designated draft spots. Here’s who we got heading to New England in this latest Patriots mock draft…
Round 1, Pick 3:
QB Drake Maye, North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 07: Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after throwing for a touchdown against the Syracuse Orange during the second half of their game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on October 07, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 40-7. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Poor Drake Maye. He’s been overanalyzed to death. The kid has just about done literally nothing worthy of changing one’s mind from the end of the 2023 season to today, yet he’s got people saying he could be anything from a franchise quarterback worthy of a pick as high as No. 2, to a total bust that would get you fired.
At the end of the day, Maye likely hasn’t fallen out of the top-3 prospects, despite the rise of other players like Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. He’s excellent at the traits you can’t coach. He has the size, arm talent, and mobility to make explosive plays at all levels of the field, assuming all goes well with his development. His relative rawness and shoddy decision-making with the ball late in his UNC career give him a low floor, but he’s got a higher ceiling than most other prospects in the 2024 class.
MORE- Patriots draft preview 2024: Cornerbacks
McCarthy is apparently rocketing up draft boards after impressing in the pre-draft process, and the Patriots may love his football intelligence and overall makeup, which are no doubt important at the quarterback position. But there’s been little to suggest that Maye can’t possess similar qualities, and despite McCarthy’s solid athleticism, he falls well short of Maye’s physical tools.
It would still be wise for the Patriots to be patient with Maye, and sit him as long as he needs until he refines his footwork and has a strong-enough grasp of the playbook. But Maye has the pure physical talent to play at some point in year 1, and if the Pats hit on this pick, he alone could transform them back into a playoff team.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.