NFL Coach Ranks Michael Penix Jr. QB3 over Drake Maye, 'Just Wish He Had More Juice'

At least one NFL assistant coach would take Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. ahead of North Carolina's Drake Maye if they had their choice in the 2024 NFL draft.

The offensive assistant told The Athletic's Bruce Feldman they had Penix third on their board behind USC's Caleb Williams and LSU's Jayden Daniels.

"He can already do all the pocket stuff. I just wish he had more juice," the coach said. "He's more of a slow-burn guy. Get pissed off when you don't throw one good in the workout. Get excited about something. … If he would've run a little more, he would definitely have been top-10. He and Caleb have the best anticipation. He doesn't take sacks."

Regarding Maye, the assistant said the Tar Heels signal-caller has a "terrific" personality but that he didn't look great on game film.

"His feet are all over the place," they said. "He's off-balance. Everything is a run-around play. At least at the pro day, you could see he had fixed a lot of stuff. It's gonna be a little while for him."

Ben Standig of The Athletic spoke to a quarterbacks coach in March who expressed a similar concern with Maye by saying, "When I see the amount of work it will take to have him reach his potential, we'll be fired first."

Penix would seemingly represent a surer thing. He spent six years in college, with his Washington run showing what he could do when he stayed healthy and with an offensive built to accentuate his strengths. He threw for 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns with a 154.2 passer rating over two seasons.

But the draft is littered with quarterbacks who were considered "pro-ready" and either didn't amount to much or eventually got surpassed by their peers. Kenny Pickett immediately jumps out as an example, and Mac Jones earned the label as well when he was entering the league.

With Penix, you can picture him looking good early into his pro career, not unlike how there were positives to take away from Pickett and Jones' rookie campaigns. The offensive assistant's lament about the southpaw needing "more juice," however, speaks to the questions over how much more he can improve.