Insider Reveals Patriots' Motive for Michael Penix Pre-Draft Visit

The New England Patriots are doing their due diligence for their next head signal caller.

All hands are on deck for the New England Patriots. We now stand just three days before the highly-anticipated 2024 NFL Draft kicks off, marking a critical time for the franchise to hit on some draft picks and bring this roster back to glory.

They'll be armed with the third-overall selection on Thursday night, but it remains up in the air on whether we can expect the Patriots to stick and pick or trade down from their top spot. A highly-touted quarterback prospect like Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels remains as the general assumption, but new developments make it seem New England is keeping all of their options open, including some names later down the board.

One of those names to stick out as a quarterback candidate further in the draft is Washington's Michael Penix Jr. The Patriots decided to visit with him alongside other QBs like Maye, Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy, leading a few around the team to question the reasoning for digging deep into the mix of signal callers.

According to NFL insider Albert Breer of , the Patriots' decision to meet with Penix was to prepare in the event the team opted to trade down the board; a choice that remains well on the table if New England gets a worthwhile haul in return:

"It’s worth noting that Penix was a late addition to the team’s slate of 30 visits—I’ve heard on good authority that was in case the team decides to trade down."

Penix showed out in his senior year at Washington, a season in which he led the squad to a national title appearance against Michigan. He posted 4,903 passing yards on 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 65.4% completion rate.

His stock has hovered around the mid-to-late first, as well as a day-two pick, making him an interesting idea for New England to pivot to within a trade-down scenario. Guys like Maye, Daniels, and even McCarthy could provide an extra layer of upside as a signal caller compared to Penix, but would inevitably lead to a trove of assets in return to help support whoever is under center for 2024.

The likelihood is that the Patriots stay put in the top three to pounce on a top quarterback option to build the future of the franchise around, but anything remains possible. Expect a careful and methodical operation like New England to turn over every stone in their efforts to re-establish a well-oiled machine to move forward within Foxborough.