Former Raiders Pro Bowler Wanted Las Vegas to Trade up for Michael Penix Jr.

Las Vegas Raiders great Marcel Reece wanted the Silver and Black to select quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with their first-round pick in this year's draft.

Nov 21, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis (left) and Marcel Reece | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

In the weeks leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, there was a lot of talk about the Las Vegas Raiders taking former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 13 pick.

The Raiders had Aidan O'Connell and a veteran in Gardner Minshew II, but there was still an opportunity to find their QB1 in what was a loaded quarterback draft class.

Before taking Penix was even an option, the Atlanta Falcons selected the star prospect with the No. 8 overall pick, a move that shocked the football world.

Former Raiders Pro-Bowl fullback Marcel Reece wanted desperately for Penix to fall to the Silver and Black.

"You have no idea how bad I wanted that," Reece said when he virtually joined the "Up and Adams" show on Tuesday. "Atlanta made a fantastic choice taking Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick. He is going to be a fantastic leader for years and years to come. And a phenomenal quarterback. I have an unbelievable amount of confidence in that choice, no matter who he was throwing the ball to."

Reece and Penix are both Washington alums.

Many mock drafts had started predicting the Raiders to take Penix in the final days before the draft -- and it very well could have happened had he not gone in the top 10, which many did not believe he would.

There were a lot of fans who were thinking just as Reece did.

Reece was a Raider for seven of his eight NFL seasons. The Raiders signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2009, and just three years later, he was named to his first of three consecutive Pro Bowls.

Reece made 67 starts in 92 games for the Silver and Black. He totaled 2,015 yards and 12 touchdowns on 205 receptions and rushed for 844 yards and three touchdowns as a member of the organization.

After becoming a free agent in 2017, Reece signed with the Seattle Seahawks, who he played his last NFL season for. He played just four regular-season games for Seattle but appeared in two postseason contests, making one start.

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