Smokescreen Or Disinterest? Patriots’ View Of QB Prospect Is Perplexing

The Patriots seemingly have made an effort to meet with every quarterback prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, but one man continues slipping through the cracks.

Is Michael Penix Jr. ever going to get a peek inside the walls of One Patriot Place?

New England has held both formal and informal meetings with just about every signal-caller in this class. Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels, being the most likely candidates to be drafted at No. 3, obviously have had multiple chances to impress Patriots brass. Caleb Williams, who will be on a jet to Chicago by the time New England makes its selection, also met with the club -- as did fellow first-round options J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix. Spencer Rattler, Kedon Slovis, Joe Milton III and Sam Hartman will go anywhere from the second to seventh rounds, and they've all met with the Patriots.

Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf, the two guys running the show in Foxboro, Mass., have gotten eyes and ears on everyone but Penix.

Why?

It's hard to say, because by all accounts Penix has seen his stock soar in the last couple of weeks. He's receiving the requisite "silly season" hype as we're hearing stories about him writing plays on the mirrors in his apartment. Does that matter? It shouldn't!

The Patriots did attend his pro day, but there was no reported meeting between the left-hander and anyone of significance in the organization. Tyler Hughes, who coached Penix last season at Washington, is now on New England's staff so there's a connection. It doesn't seem like the Patriots are eager to act on it, though.

If you're familiar with the 2009 romantic comedy "He's Just Not That Into You," (great cast, by the way) you can draw a connection between Penix and Kevin Connolly's character. He seemingly is a perfect fit for New England in the event of a trade back, but the Patriots (Scarlett Johansson) clearly have their eyes on someone else.

It all makes sense in a vacuum. The Patriots are going to just take someone at No. 3, so why waste time looking into a guy who will end up with someone else? Why aren't we asking that same question about all the other QB prospects other than Maye and Daniels?

We're trying not to get too hung up on this relatively meaningless thing, but it has left us curious.

Could it all just be a smokescreen?